


The Winter Rose

by ungarmax



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Beauty and the Beast Elements, Canon-Typical Violence, Fairy Tale Retellings, M/M, this is more based on the disney movie than anything else though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 75,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22482250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ungarmax/pseuds/ungarmax
Summary: A TAZ Balance inspired retelling of 'Beauty and the Beast,' featuring Kravitz as the Beauty and Taako as the Beast.  Updates Fridays.
Relationships: Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 416
Kudos: 226





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Wizards and Woodsmen, Beauties and Beasts](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13645572) by [nekosd43](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosd43/pseuds/nekosd43). 



Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and prosperous kingdom called Faerun. It was a very large kingdom, blessed with many different races coexisting within its borders. It was ruled by the short-lived humans so that it would be forced to change leadership often.

Each of the races had their own monarchs that ruled under the human family, and they each had their own ways of electing their monarchs. The elves, haling from the vast forests of the Felicity Wilds, chose their leader in a most unconventional way to other races: they based it entirely on luck. For, they thought, if our leader has a good deal of luck, then they will bestow their luck upon the people.

So every few decades, the elves would look at all the eligible children born in the kingdom and the circumstances of their births. They would look at the constellations that had appeared in the sky that night, or how the weather had been that day, or what their family had done to celebrate the birth, or what sorts of foods the parent had craved while carrying their child. When a child was born who was luckier, even, than the current ruler, then they would be raised as the next ruler.

And that was how the new prince was chosen, or so the story is told.

It was somewhat unorthodox when he was chosen, even for the elves, for this prince’s luck was so _because_ he was chosen. And perhaps this was a poor choice, for divinations told of curse that would befall him: he was fated to become a monster and to be forgotten.

And perhaps the choice that brought him there only inspired bad luck instead of good, for the prince grew up to be selfish and arrogant, caring little for the small town he was tasked to govern while his predecessors were still in power. He paced the halls of his castle and devoted his time to his magic and his appearance, lashing out even at his trusted servants.

A great sorceress often visited the prince, arriving on a magical boat that floated on the silver light of the moon. She saw the distress of the people he governed, of the miserable servants who lived within his castle.

“Prince, oh prince, your people starve in the streets!” she told him. “Why won’t you help them?”

“That is no concern of mine,” said the prince. “They should fend for themselves. They don’t respect me, so why should I help them?”

And even though the sorceress opened up the prince’s food stores to the people of the town, the people left, moving away to other parts of the nation.

The sorceress returned and said, “Prince, oh prince, your servants suffer at your hand! Why won’t you be kinder to them?”

“They are here to serve me,” said the prince. “They are privileged to be here, so why should I give them more comfort?”

And even though the sorceress opened the prince’s coffers to the servants to recompense them for their suffering, many of them left the castle as well, moving to places where they would be able to work better jobs.

Now the town was empty and the castle only had a few servants left. The prince was livid when the sorceress returned.

“See what you have done?” he shouted at her. “My town has no people! My castle has no servants! You have drained my food stores and my coffers, and I have been forgotten by those who once loved me! Why have you done this?”

“You have done this to yourself, prince,” she said, her voice cold. “You have become a monster in your selfish arrogance and your cruel indifference.”

The prince was a great wizard in his own right, and he went to attack the sorceress. But the moment he tried to cast his first spell, the sorceress put a curse on him. Pink crystal sprung up from the ground all around him and encased him within. He fought against his prison, but when he emerged from the crystal, he had changed into a hideous monster with long, deadly claws and sharp teeth. Even the servants who had remained loyal to him were afraid and could not speak to him.

No magic the prince knew could turn him back, and so he went to the sorceress and pleaded with her to remove the curse.

But she refused. “I cannot remove it,” she told him firmly. “The only way for you to break the curse is to find true love.”

And the prince wept and cursed at the sorceress and bade her never to return. He holed himself up in his tower in the castle and lashed out at his faithful servants more than ever. He resigned himself to his fate and succumbed to his sorrow. Those who might have once loved him had forgotten him now, and all he had left were his servants who were afraid of him.

Many years passed, and the castle fell into disrepair, old and forgotten at the edge of the forest. The servants stayed, but their master languished in his misery.

For who could ever learn to love such a monster?


	2. The Castle at the End of the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wandering bard stumbles across an abandoned ghost town while searching for shelter, and he finds it in a dilapidated castle nearby. The castle isn't as empty as it seems, however.
> 
> Join Kravitz as he plays with some dogs, flirts with a cook (not the one you're thinking), and makes poor life choices.

Late autumn had finally sunk officially into early winter, and it was evident in the icy winds that Kravitz couldn’t quite escape, even within the relative protection of the trees. Snow had started falling early that morning in fat, wet flakes that left a good inch of slush on the ground. It seeped through his boots and his socks, and his feet were so cold and wet that he could barely feel them anymore. His breath puffed from his mouth in small, icy clouds before dispersing on the breeze. His fingers had long since gone numb, even tucked under his armpits.

Going into the woods had seemed like a good idea a few hours ago, but he was very much regretting his decision now. Even his warm, woolen cloak wasn’t staving off the cold effectively. He hadn’t marked his path well enough to backtrack. The sunlight was dim through the canopy of bare branches above his head, and he knew sunset wasn’t far off.

That, and the fact that he could hear the distant howl of wolves, was very bad.

He knew he had to keep moving. He could probably keep himself warm enough for an evening, but the further away from the wolves he got, the better. Besides, he’d never escape the forest if he stopped moving.

The howling got closer. It occurred to him that his movements were projecting his location to the wolves as well. But what choice did he have? He walked faster. With the sun setting, he could follow the direction of the light and at least keep on a straight path. The trees had to end at some point.

The wolves caught up with him before he found the edge of the woods. The next howl was so close, he expected to see a wolf at his heels when he spun around. He tightened his grip on his bad and broke into a run, sporadic and disjointed as he tried to weave around trees and underbrush without tripping. He couldn’t die here, he _couldn’t_. He had people waiting for him.

There was a gap in the trees ahead of him, and he stumbled out, in some confusion, onto a trail. It wasn’t much of a trail, as it had clearly not been used in a long while, but a trail meant _a way out_ , and that meant the possibility of people or shelter from the wolves. There was a broken down stone structure that might have once been a well near the trail, which was also a good sign.

The trail meant he could move faster, but the wolves could too. He raced down the path, ducking under low hanging branches and dodging fallen logs and rocks in his way. He glanced over his shoulder and leaped forward just in time as a wolf lunged for him. He had to do something, and fast. Until he came up with an idea, though, he had to keep running.

The trail led into what looked to be an old, abandoned town. The buildings were rundown, most collapsed in on themselves, and the ones that remained had already lost their roofs and windows, for the most part. Still, one of them might offer some shelter from the wolves. He changed his direction and bolted for the sturdiest looking one.

What he had failed to account for was the way the lack of trees meant that the snow here was thicker. His foot skidded in the snow, and he went down hard, smacking his head into the ground hard enough that he saw stars for a moment. When he managed to pull himself up into a kneel, the wolves had surrounded him. They paced around him in a wide circle, snarling and snapping at him.

Was it possible anyone was left in the old town? It seemed unlikely, but Kravitz could think of no better plan. He didn’t have any weapons on him, and he had used up his spell slots earlier. Cantrips wouldn’t get him far.

“Help!” he shouted as loud as he could. “Somebody, please! Help me!”

He did surprise the wolves for a moment, but that seemed to be the only response he got. He grimaced as one of the wolves paced closer and lunged at him. He threw an arm up over his face and closed his eyes and –

The wolf never got to him. Instead it yelped, as if in pain, and when he brought his arm down, he could see an arrow in its flank. It limped away from him, whimpering, and the other wolves scattered as another arrow landed in the snow by their feet.

He was still panting for breath, still riding high on adrenaline, and for a moment, he couldn’t quite parse what had happened. An arrow meant that someone else was here, though – that he knew. He couldn’t tell which direction it had come from, but he slowly pulled himself to his feet as he looked around.

“You okay?”

Kravitz whirled around. A short, plump human woman carrying a bow appeared from behind one of the ruined buildings. She was wearing a warm parka and had a quiver on her back. He was a little envious of the parka; his cloak was drenched now from his tumble in the snow.

“Yeah, I’m all right,” he said, still trying to catch his breath. “Thanks.”

“Did you come through the woods? The wolves hardly ever cross onto the main trail,” she said, walking toward him.

“Um, yes. I got...lost.”

“I’ll say. Welcome to the middle of fucking nowhere.” She thrust out a gloved hand. “I’m Julia.”

He shook her hand. “Kravitz. I’m _really_ glad to meet you.”

She laughed. “I bet you are. Where are you trying to go? There’s a road leading toward Waterdeep that goes out of town here, but no one’s used it in years,” she said.

“Right now, I just want to get out of this snow,” he replied. His teeth were chattering.

She nodded. “You’re going to need shelter for the night. Just because the wolves don’t usually cross the main path doesn’t mean they won’t, especially at this time of the day. Follow me.”

She led him down a path that veered away from the town proper and through another copse of trees. It opened up to a wrought iron gate guarding a wide stone bridge leading across a narrow ravine. In the middle of the ravine, built on a rock that stood in the center like an island, was a large stone building. It was a little small for a castle, but the architecture had clearly been designed with a castle in mind. The walls were made of a beautiful ivory colored stone with large windows. A large balcony led around the exterior, lined with columns. Two tall towers jutted upwards, one on either side, topped with open archways and a pyramid shaped roof with pale blue shingles.

The castle was absolutely gorgeous in design, but it wasn’t hard to see that it had fallen into some disrepair. The towers had missing tiles from the roof. The stone was cracked in a few places, with some small holes forming. There were small gaps in the bridge where the top layer of stone had been eroded away. Even from the other side of the bridge, it was clear that that the plant life had taken its toll on the place as well, with withered vines creeping up the sides and overgrown bushes that badly needed tending.

The most peculiar feature of the castle, though, was the western tower. Although it was clearly meant to be identical to the other, the entire thing was distorted somehow, with the light reflecting off of it wrong. It almost seemed to glow with a sort of radiant pink aura. When the sun went behind a cloud, though, it was clear that the light was coming from the jagged bits of pink crystal that were spread haphazardly up the column, complete with a huge chunk jutting out of the upper balcony.

The forest had been thick enough that Kravitz had never seen the castle, even though the leaves had mostly fallen by now.

“What _is_ this place?” he asked as Julia unlocked the gate and let him inside.

“You came all the way out here and didn’t even know where you were going?” she chided gently. She securely locked the gate behind them, although there didn’t seem to be anyone else to keep out of the place. “This is Glamour Springs, or what’s left of it.”

“What...happened to it?”

She paused. “It’s kind of a long story. But don’t worry, there wasn’t like a plague or something. Most everyone left on their own.”

She led him across the bridge and past more overgrown lawn until they reached the front door. He wasn’t really sure what to think of the situation. Julia walked around the palace like she owned the place, and she didn’t seem overly concerned about the ghost town or the deteriorating conditions of the castle.

In Kravitz’ experience, entire villages didn’t just entirely relocate without good reason, but nothing he had seen so far gave him any indication of what that reason might be. He didn’t have any proof that Julia was telling him the truth about a plague, but the fact that she wasn’t afraid to walk around the empty houses was a pretty good sign of that, at least.

Once they reached the door, she paused. “You’ll want to stay quiet while you’re here,” she said. “And don’t go wandering around. We’ll get you squared up with some supplies, and you can stay the night. The wolves won’t be hunting in the morning. You should be able to get out of the woods within a few hours, and Waterdeep isn’t much further.”

Stay quiet and don’t wander around, huh. It sounded like there was something of a mystery at play in this castle.

“Would the reason I need to keep quiet and not wander have anything to do with why there’s a ghost town outside this castle?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Just trust me on this one.” She opened the door, which opened surprisingly quietly, and slid inside.

Kravitz followed warily, glancing around the large entrance hall. The room was surprisingly well lit, although he could instantly tell the interior of the castle had also suffered from disrepair. The passage down the center of the room leading to the door was well kept and clean, lit with ornate candelabras on either side of the entry way. But the edges of the room were covered in thick dust and cobwebs. It seemed as though the cleaning had been prioritized to the section of the room that was actually being used.

The pattern continued like this. Two grand staircases led up to a balcony on the second floor, overlooking the entry way, but only one of them had been maintained. There was a large seating area between the staircases that was largely vacant, the huge fireplace left unlit. Kravitz imagined it would take a great effort to heat an enormous room like this.

Julia led him through a side door into a much smaller hallway. The air was warmer here, and there was the sound of voices from various open doors. Someone was singing in a language he didn’t recognize, and someone laughed loudly from another room.

“You’ll have to forgive the mess of the place,” Julia said companionably as they walked down the hallway. She seemed more at ease, now that they were out of the entrance hall. “There aren’t enough of us here to keep everything clean, so we just do the best we can. Come this way. The guest rooms will need to be cleaned up a bit, but you can eat something while we get them ready for you.”

“Thank you,” Kravitz said gratefully. “I’m not sure my presence warrants all that work, but I do appreciate it nonetheless.”

“It’s the least we can do for a guest,” she replied. “We’re not going to leave you out with the wolves, after all.” She stopped at one of the doors and knocked on the wooden frame. “Hey, Ren, is there enough dinner left over for a guest?”

The singing stopped when Julia knocked. “A guest?” asked a voice from within. Ren apparently had a southern twang to her voice. Kravitz was mildly surprised when a drow peeked around the corner at them. “Well, I’ll be damned. Who’s this handsome fellow, hmm?”

He affected a shy smile and did his best to not let her accent influence his own fake one. “My name is Kravitz,” he told her, bowing slightly. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“Wow, that’s more of an intro than I got,” Julia chuckled.

The room Ren was standing in was very clearly a surprisingly large kitchen. He shrugged. “If you don’t suck up to the chef, then you’re doing it wrong.”

Ren laughed. “Well, he’s got a point,” she said. “Come on in. I’m sure I can find something for you to eat.” She led him inside and then turned back to Julia. “I’m guessing we’re not telling the boss about this?”

“You’re guessing right,” Julia replied, nodding. “No point, right?”

“The boss?” Kravitz asked, his interest piqued.

“Don’t you worry about him,” Ren said. “He just don’t exactly take well to guests, and he’s got a bit of a short temper. Now, how do you feel about venison?”

“That depends on how good of a cook you are,” he replied. As curious as he was about the ‘boss’ person, he had a feeling that asking directly wasn’t necessarily the best way to find out more. “The smell is promising though.”

“Oh, I’m _real_ good,” she promised, flashing him a grin.

As it turned out, she was right. There had been no over promises, he thought to himself as he enjoyed a hot dinner of venison and leek stew. It had been a good, long time since he had eaten something this delicious.

Chatting with Ren over dinner revealed little new information about the castle or the town, but he did learn that Julia was a skilled hunter and was in charge of providing meat for the castle’s food stores. Ren was obviously the cook, and there was a small number of other people keeping the castle in working order as best they could. He promptly forgot all of their names when the conversation was over.

Julia had vanished during his meal to go prepare a room for him, but once Kravitz was finished eating and helping Ren with the dishes, a tall, burly human with bushy sideburns burst in instead.

“Hi,” he said cheerfully, grabbing Kravitz’ hands between both of his and shaking it firmly. “You’re Kravitz, right? I’m Julia’s husband. Magnus Burnsides. Nice to meet you. We don’t get a lot of guests in these parts.”

“Um, nice to meet you,” Kravitz said, a little overwhelmed by the sheer volume of rustic hospitality that had suddenly filled the room.

“Give him a chance to breathe, Magnus,” Ren scolded lightly.

“Oh, right. Sorry about that!” He laughed. “Like I said, we just don’t get a lot of visitors out here.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Kravitz replied.

“Ha! Yeah, we’re kind of out of the way. Anyway, Julia’s warming up the room and all for you. I thought maybe you’d want a little tour of the place. You know, so you can find your way around if you have to take a leak in the middle or the night or something.”

“That would be appreciated.” He glanced at Ren. “Thank you for dinner. You really are as good a chef as you say.”

She nodded approvingly. “He can stay as long as he likes,” she told Magnus. “See this? He even helps me with the dishes.”

“I _made_ the dishes,” Magnus whined.

“Yeah, but you also make ‘em dirty!”

Kravitz looked at the finely carved wooden bowl he had just finished drying. “You’re a carpenter?” he asked as he dried his hands.

“Yup! I do the maintenance and upkeep in this place,” Magnus said proudly. “I know most of it looks like shit, but we’ve managed to keep it standing this long. There’s a lot to do and not a lot of us to do it. Come on, let me show you around.”

Kravitz excused himself and thanked Ren again before following Magnus out the door.

“Why do you all stay here?” he asked. “If you don’t have enough support to keep up with the castle’s maintenance?”

“We can’t exactly leave the prince alone, now can we?” Magnus commented. “Okay, so your bedroom is the – ”

“Wait, _prince?_ ” Kravitz asked, blinking in surprise. “A _prince_ lives here?”

Magnus frowned, pausing and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “I guess maybe he isn’t really a prince anymore,” he said. “I dunno how it works. The elves don’t use bloodlines to decide their kings and queens.”

“You’re telling me that there’s an elven prince in this building somewhere?” Kravitz persisted. “I hadn’t even heard that they _had_ one.” Something seemed off about that concept, but he couldn’t place his finger on what it was. “Why would he live in a place like this?”

“Listen, man, the whole thing’s just a big complicated mess,” Magnus said, sounding worried. “The castle didn’t always look like this. Let’s just keep going with the tour, okay?”

And they did just that. Magnus showed him where the toilet was, introduced him to a number of people all very interested in him, and brought him to his bedroom. Kravitz didn’t ask anymore questions, even though his mind was racing with them. He didn’t know a lot about elven nobility, but he couldn’t imagine stowing a prince away in an old, broken down castle. Magnus had implied things used to be different, and whatever had happened here meant that the prince was no longer a prince.

What in the world could change something like that?

* * *

Kravitz didn’t sleep well that night.

His room was warm and his bed surprisingly nice for such a dreary old castle. He certainly had reasons to be exhausted, after getting lost in the woods for hours and nearly being eaten by a pack of wolves.

But there was a lot to think about. Mysteries of this creepy old castle aside, everyone he had met so far made it quite clear that he wouldn’t be welcome to stay once the sun was up. He supposed it was because they didn’t want him to meet with the strange ex-prince that apparently ran the place. That was fine; meeting deposed nobility with poor attitudes wasn’t much of a loss.

It was just...well, a warm bed and good food were things he didn’t take for granted these days. If going home had been a real option for him, he wouldn’t have been in these woods in the first place.

As old and dreary as the castle was, evidence of its past opulence wasn’t hard to find. The sheets he rested on were made of a warm, soft cotton, and the bed frame was fine mahogany. The banner on the wall above the fireplace was embroidered with a beautiful, if faded, design that indicated skill and thus expense.

One treasure from a place like this could completely eliminate his current financial woes, and the people who lived here probably wouldn’t even notice the difference.

He slipped out of bed and pulled on his socks that had been drying in front of the fire. It was a terrible way to repay the generosity of the servants who lived here, but he wouldn’t be stealing from _them_. Everything here belonged to the terrible prince who they all seemed to live in fear of, so what did he have to lose?

He lit a candle and carried it with him to the door. No one was around that he could see. The hallway outside the door stretched beyond where the light of the candle reached. Magnus hadn’t shown him what was down this way.

Most of the closed doors were probably bedrooms, he surmised. There was one open room that looked to be a cozy dining room. It wasn’t the fancy sort where you could expect a prince to eat or entertain guests; the table, although expertly carved, had nicks and gouges in its well used surface, and the chairs didn’t all match.

He continued on. The area looped back in on itself, but the section near where Julia had led him inside also had a stairwell. He investigated that for a bit, but the steps were rickety and creaked loudly when he stepped on one, so he abandoned that idea.

The entrance hall seemed like a good bet, especially with that staircase that went to the upstairs balcony. But that would be a poor place to be caught. The kitchen he had seen earlier, however, was much larger than was necessary for just the servants. There was a decent chance that that kitchen was the only one in the castle.

And that meant it wouldn’t be far from the royal dining room.

Getting to the kitchen was easy enough. Ren kept the door propped open to share the heat from the ovens with the rest of the servants’ quarters. He slipped inside and had a look around. Beyond the large sink area and cupboards filled with fine china, he found what he was looking for: a second exit. The door opened silently, and he peered through.

It was evident almost immediately that his suspicions had been correct. The floor was covered with a thick, plush carpet, and the walls boasted a fancy wallpaper half hidden behind a number of portraits that he couldn’t make out in the darkness. There was an elegant drink cart next to the door, complete with wine glasses and a pitcher. In the center of the room, there was a ridiculously long table that took up most of the long room. There were no chairs around this one, though. There was simply one ornate chair, complete with a large plush seat and cushioned arm rests, on one side.

The room was well kept, mostly free of dust and cobwebs as near as he could see with only a single candle. This was obviously where the prince took his meals. Kravitz wondered what it was like to eat alone at a table meant for many like this.

There was one peculiarity he discovered while investigating the room, and that was the other end of the table across from the ornate chair. On this end, the wooden finish of the table had been gouged and cut, as if a massive animal had racked its claws across the surface. There was a stool on the floor at this end, almost like an afterthought.

He couldn’t imagine what that meant or who this silly little stool was meant for.

The table wasn’t a concern, though, and he moved away from it to inspect the large fireplace next. He had to filch something innocuous, something that wouldn’t be missed. Dinnerware would be too brittle to bring with him. Silverware would be too noisy as it clanked together in his bag, and too bulky if he brought a whole set.

No, he needed something small. He scanned the mantle. It had a number of small but beautiful trinkets on display, though nothing seemed especially fancy until he reached the center.

There, in a small glass vase, there was a single crystal rose. The petals were made from some sort of cut gemstone, pink in color, perhaps tourmaline or sapphire, though the stem appeared to be made of green glass. The flower was the size of a large rose in full bloom, and the petals were barely thicker than actual rose petals would be. The workmanship was incredible. It was one of the most lovely things Kravitz had ever seen, even lit only by the glint of a single candle.

The flower itself was obviously quite valuable, though the stem was very breakable and probably wouldn’t survive the trip. If he wrapped it well enough, though, the flower wouldn’t be damaged. It was clearly the best choice for things to swipe; on a mantle piece this decorated, its absence probably wouldn’t be noticed until he was long gone.

Something about it gave him pause, however. This felt...familiar, as though this wasn’t the first time he had seen it.

Maybe it wasn’t as valuable as he had thought, if there were others. But he had spent too much time exploring as was and needed to get back to his room before someone noticed he was up. He plucked the flower out of its vase and moved the vase behind another knickknack where it wasn’t so obvious. Then he slid the rose into his bag and crept back toward the door.

He made it back to his room with little issue. The rose seemed to have survived the trip from the dining room to the bedroom at first glance, but when he pulled it out to look at it with better light, he realized there was a break on the glass stem. Something had snapped off.

It was probably a leaf or something, but when he searched his bag, he couldn’t find any glass inside of it. It had either broken off without him noticing in the dining room or it had been broken before he had even gotten there.

Either way, it didn’t really matter. He wrapped the flower in his scarf and slipped it into his bag. And then he climbed back into his bed and pretended very hard that he didn’t feel guilty at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a comment or a kudo to let me know. They both mean a lot to me and encourage me to keep writing. :)
> 
> If you wanna find me elsewhere, I'm on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). Otherwise, I'll see you next Friday!


	3. The Monstrous Prince

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some poor life choices, the bard tries to leave the weird little castle behind him. However, he hasn't met everyone who lives in this castle yet, and those poor life choices are going to start catching up with him soon, if he isn't careful.
> 
> Join Kravitz as he makes a new friend, gets a new bedroom, and finds a new job.

Kravitz woke in the morning as exhausted as he had been when he laid down. Someone was knocking at his door, reminding him that morning would be breaking soon. He groaned and rolled out of bed. After dressing, he carefully turned down the covers, even though he probably didn’t need to bother.

He packed up the rest of his things and slung his bag over his shoulder, frowning when he remembered the faceted rose hiding in his scarf. Stealing really wasn’t his style, and he hated having stolen from people who had showed him nothing but kindness. But he quickly reminded himself that it was the prince they all feared that he was stealing from instead. This little rose could save his life, and what was that to some spoiled prince in a decrepit castle?

“Hey, Kravitz!” Magnus called, peering in his door. “G’morning! Ren said she had some food packed up for you, since you’ll probably be traveling most of the day today. Come and get some breakfast too, okay?”

“Thanks,” Kravitz said, giving him a small smile. “I really appreciate all you’ve done for me.”

“Don’t mention it, man. What, we’re not going to save you from the wolves and then let you starve to death,” Magnus laughed. “Come on, the dining room is this way.”

Magnus led him to the little servant dining area Kravitz had discovered on his own the night before. The room was already bustling with people, and Magnus sat him down between a tall orcish woman and a dwarven man with an eye patch and a prosthetic arm.

The dwarf eyed him critically. “Didn’t know we’d hired on any new help,” he commented.

“Oh, uh, no, I’m just a guest,” Kravitz told him. “I’ll be leaving after breakfast.”

“It ain’t that easy to get out of here, kid.”

“Wow, no need to be weird and ominous, Merle,” the orc snorted. “Just ignore him. Kravitz, right? I’m Killian.”

“A pleasure.”

“You’re headed up to Waterdeep, right?”

“I was actually hoping to get to Goldcliffe, but it seems like getting transport via Waterdeep seems like the best idea,” he said. It was a little bit like going north to go south, but he never wanted to step foot in those woods outside again.

“Yo, did you say Goldcliffe?” asked a dark hair half elf from across the table. “Do you live there?”

“Oh, no, I was just meeting up with some friends there,” Kravitz lied smoothly. “I’ve been there before, though. It’s a lovely city.”

“You ever go watch the battle wagon races? I used to be a top tier racer here with Hurley here.”

“ _Sloane_ ,” hissed the halfling woman next to her who was probably Hurley.

“What?”

“Maybe _don’t_ talk up your illegal exploits with strangers at the breakfast table?”

“What’s he gonna do, arrest me?” Sloane looked back at Kravitz. “You’re not a fantasy cop, right? You have to tell me or it’s entrapment.”

“I’m not a fantasy cop,” he assured her, laughing. “I’m not going to arrest anyone. I’ve been to a few races, actually.”

“See? I told you, Hurley. He’s cool.”

Over the course of breakfast, Kravitz was rapidly introduced to a number of other people, though he didn’t bother trying to commit their names to memory. There wasn’t a point. He would be gone within the hour, if all went as planned.

And the sooner the better, really. Stealing wasn’t the worst thing he had ever done, but he would feel a lot better when he was out of this place.

After breakfast, he helped gather up the dishes and then headed for the kitchen to get his promised food for the trip. Most of the others weren’t finished just yet, so he had only a small stack of dishes in his arms when he shouldered open the door into the kitchen. He was absorbed in his thoughts, planning his trip back to Goldcliffe, and he didn’t realize he wasn’t alone at first.

But then he stopped short, staring into the corner where the icebox stood. For a moment, his mind couldn’t process what he was seeing. The shape of the figure there didn’t make any _sense_. The edges of it kept moving around and changing in ways he couldn’t seem to comprehend. Looking at it made his mind feel like it was full of static.

The door swung closed behind him, and the figure moved.

It was made up entirely of blackness, so deep and dark that he couldn’t perceive any contours to the shape it cut. His mind seemed to decide, finally, that it was humanoid, and it was turning its head to look at him over its shoulder. From this angle, he could see a pair of wolfish eyes, a deep amber in color. He was reminded suddenly of the wolves outside in the forest, of how they looked at him just before lunging at him. The creature’s large, pointed ears didn’t hurt the illusion either, although they were somewhat more bat-like than those of a wolf.

It smiled, or possibly growled, showing off rows of horrible teeth. “Well, now,” it said, closing the icebox with a thud and pacing a little closer. Now in better light, Kravitz could see that it was wearing clothing, the dark reds and greens having been almost invisible against its flank in the dimness. It was all Kravitz could do not to take a step backwards or drop the stack of plates in his trembling hands. “Who’s this? You’re quite the cool drink of water, aren’t you?”

Its voice was strangely natural, something he could almost hear coming out of an elf or a human, but there was a very inhuman cadence to it, almost like an echo. It set Kravitz on edge involuntarily. He swallowed hard. His own voice didn’t seem to want to work.

“What’s the matter, thug? Eldritch horror monster got your tongue?”

Was this thing _toying_ with him? He took a deep breath and set his jaw, setting down the plates on the counter near him for something to do with his hands. The monster hadn’t attacked him yet, and he didn’t want to provoke an attack either. It seemed more amused than anything, but it was difficult to read its features.

“Kravitz,” he said, finally, his mouth dry. The creature cocked its head to the side in what might have been confusion. “My name. I’m Kravitz.”

“There you go. Wasn’t so hard, was it?” it said. “All right. Next question. What the fuck are you doing in my castle?”

“Your – ”

He stared at it for a moment, his mind reeling. _This_ was the elven prince who owned the castle? Had that been a story Magnus had made up for his benefit, to cover up for the fact that they were all here maintaining a castle for a _monster?_

“Okay, Kravitz, I got you a...”

Ren’s voice came from the doorway of the kitchen before she trailed off into silence, the door still propped open against her shoulder. “Oh. Your majesty. I’m sorry, I had no idea you were in here,” she said, her voice changing to something more subdued.

“Yeah, well, I get hungry too, you know,” he said petulantly. “So, we’re picking up strays now? And no one thought to tell me?”

“It’s not like that,” Ren said quickly. “Julia found Kravitz near the town last night. It was cold and the wolves were out, so she told him he could stay the night. It’s a long walk to Waterdeep, so I thought I would make sure he had some to eat this morning. He’s just about to leave.”

Kravitz, now back on his game, forced himself into a deep bow. “I’m deeply grateful for your hospitality, your majesty,” he said.

“Not as though I had a choice in the matter,” the prince scowled, tossing his head to the side in a weirdly human gesture. “Now, get moving. You stick around too long and I might eat you for breakfast.” He grinned that awful, terrifying grin again.

“You don’t eat people, sir,” Ren said, exasperated.

“Just because I _haven’t_ doesn’t mean I _won’t_ ,” he snorted. “Look at him. He’s a good place to start, wouldn’t you say? He’s a _snack_.”

“I’m, um, going,” Kravitz said quickly.

His dignity kept him from running out of the kitchen, but only barely. The monster prince cackled behind him, high pitched and horrible, as he left.

Ren followed him out, shutting the door tightly behind her. “God. Sorry about him. He likes to make an impression,” she said, frowning.

“He did that very well,” Kravitz said, bewildered. He couldn’t quite process what had just happened.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think he’d take well to me going back in to grab you a to go bag,” she continued as she led him back through the dining area. “Y’all might want to keep it down. Taako’s up early this morning and prowling around the kitchen.”

“Oh shit, he met Kravitz?” Magnus asked, standing up from the table. “He’s not mad, is he?”

“No, he ain’t mad, but he did want Kravitz gone.”

“Was he...flirting with me?” Kravitz wondered aloud.

“He was being a creep is what he was doing,” Ren explained. “Don’t you worry about him. He’s all talk.”

“Yeah, he talks a big game, but he’d never hurt anybody on purpose,” Magnus affirmed. “Come on, let’s get you your bag and cloak. He’s a pain to deal with when he’s _really_ mad.” He led Kravitz out of the room. “...sorry. I should have warned you about him. But he doesn’t usually come down here this early.”

Kravitz pulled his bag over his head and then secured his cloak over top. “Is he forcing you all to stay? I could tell someone – get someone out here to help you...”

“What? Nah, it’s nothing like that.” Magnus scratched the back of his head. “I know it probably seems weird, but...well, Taako’s my friend. If we all left him here alone, he’d just languish away until he died.”

“He’s your friend?”

“Yeah! Friends can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. I’m not picky,” Magnus replied, grinning and patting Kravitz on the shoulder.

Kravitz knew he was missing a lot of context here, but he couldn’t imagine that thing having any friends at all. Even Ren had seemed afraid of him.

Julia came out into the hallway as they headed for the front door. “Hey, don’t get eaten by wolves out there,” she said, following after them. “I used two whole arrows saving your skin. I don’t want them going to waste.”

Kravitz gave her a weak smile and saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Magnus, make sure to walk him up through town so he doesn’t get turned around,” she went on. “The paths can be a little confusing, but the main road will take you straight up out of the woods. Don’t worry. Once you’re going the right way, you won’t have a problem.”

“Of course,” Magnus laughed. “I don’t think he wants to come back here any time soon.”

“And be sure to – ”

She was cut off by a loud crash coming from the dining room behind her. She whirled around, and Magnus stepped in front of Kravitz.

The monster burst through the open door, ignoring protests from inside the room of, “Taako, wait!” and turned toward the three of them. His eyes narrowed on Kravitz. His expression was unreadable, but Kravitz felt deeply unsettled once again.

“I changed my mind,” he snapped. “He stays.”

“Like, I’m glad you’re making friends, man, but Kravitz here has places to be,” Magnus said, patting Kravitz’ shoulder again. It might have been a placating gesture, but Kravitz couldn’t help but think it was at least partially to keep him from running.

“Well, he doesn’t get a choice in the matter,” the monster replied, his lip curling upwards into a snarl as he advanced slowly.

“You’re not making sense,” Julia insisted, keeping pace with him.

The prince did not break eye contact with Kravitz. “Thieves don’t get to run around as they please.”

Somehow, meeting a horrible monster that was masquerading as a prince had put the thought of the stolen gemstone rose right out of Kravitz’ mind. He was reminded suddenly that he had something that belonged to a monster and no excuse for having it.

He had a choice to make here. He could either own up to what he had done and hope for mercy, or he could play innocent and hope Magnus and Julia would get him out of there before they found out he was lying. Or he could turn tail and run. That would be the same as confessing his guilt, he knew, but the option was the most appealing one thus far.

If the monster went through his bag, it was all over. If he played dumb and Magnus and Julia didn’t stick up for him, he’d be even deeper in the shit. If he ran, there was a small chance he’d actually be able to get away from them.

It was his best chance.

Even as Magnus spoke up to ask the prince what he was talking about, Kravitz hummed a quiet tune under his breath. The shower of sparks from his prestidigitation spell hopefully caught all three of them off guard, and then he was off, running as fast as he could. Once he was outside the castle, he would cast longstrider and be gone before anyone could catch him.

Well, he would have if he had made it that far. He wasn’t even to the door to the entry hall before something snagged his cloak and yanked him backwards. He staggered, but the clasp tore, and he ditched the cloak as he stumbled against the wall to regain his balance. He pushed off the wall and dashed toward the door again.

Something slammed into him from behind, something big and sturdy and very heavy. He went down hard, and something was pressing him down into the ground. He struggled but quickly realized that it had been Magnus who had tackled him. He knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

“Just calm down, Kravitz,” Magnus murmured behind him. “What did you take?”

“Careful,” called Julia’s voice. “He was using magic before.”

Kravitz let out a breath of defeat, pressing his forehead against the floor. He was embarrassingly weak without a weapon and badly outnumbered.

“Sorry. I’m sorry,” he groaned.

Magnus let him up but kept his hands heavily on either of his shoulders. “Just give whatever you took back,” he said. “I’m sure you had a good reason.”

Kravitz tried to think of a way to stall for time. He was used to talking his way out of trouble, and Magnus seemed to want to think the best of him, so that was on his side. However, the monster was crouched in front of him now, his eyes sharp and angry. He wasn’t sure he would be able to win such a creature over.

He slowly opened his bag and pulled out his scarf with the rose wrapped inside and carefully unfurled it. And then he had to bite back a curse. As he had worried, the delicate glass stem had snapped in a few places, in spite of his care to wrap it.

“You broke it,” the monster hissed. Somehow, the quiet of his voice was even more terrifying than it would have been loud. “You fucking _broke it._ ”

“I-I’m sorry. I can fix it,” Kravitz said quickly. He arranged the pieces on the scarf and then hummed another tune to cast mending on it. The pieces fused together, maybe not quite as good as new, but it was as best as he could get it. He lifted the newly mended rose with both hands and offered it to the monster as humbly as he could manage.

He half expected the monster to just slap it out of his hands or to grab it away from him so harshly that he broke it again. But instead, he was very careful as he lifted it from Kravitz’ hands, holding the thing delicately in his long claws and taking care not to touch Kravitz. He stared down at it for a long moment, turning it over in his claws and studying it.

“Search his bag,” he said, rising to his feet. “Then throw him in the dungeon.”

Julia didn’t make eye contact with Kravitz as she took his bag. He let her. He had only stolen the rose, and he didn’t keep anything incriminating in such an obvious place.

“Taako,” Magnus protested.

“That wasn’t a fucking suggestion, Mags,” the monster snapped. “Throw him in the dungeon until I decide what I’m going to do to him.”

“There’s nothing else in here,” Julia said.

“Point for him! Now get him the fuck away from me.”

Magnus sighed and hauled Kravitz to his feet. “Come on, man.”

Kravitz didn’t fight it. There was no way he could fight against Magnus, even with his magic. Most of his spells weren’t geared toward combat anyway. Magnus led him back down the hallway, past the group of people that had gathered in the hallway. He received a number of sad, angry, and disapproving looks from the others, but no one said a word.

Magnus brought him down a set of old stone stairs, lighting a number of dusty old wall sconces as they went.

“So he’s not a bad guy, huh?” Kravitz commented bitterly.

“Yeah, well, you’re not so great yourself, are you?” Magnus pointed out.

Kravitz sighed. “I’m sorry. I _am_. I’ve never – I thought, I don’t know, this castle is full of beautiful things, no one would notice if one little flower went missing,” he said. “I’m not...here to rob you, and I’m aware that this was an awful way to repay your hospitality. But I really need the money, and this is a _castle_.”

“Yeah, everybody needs money, huh?” Magnus mused.

“I...can’t go home empty handed.” That much, at least, was true.

Magnus didn’t say anything. They reached the bottom of the stairs. It had been getting progressively colder with each step they took, and it was chilly enough down here that Kravitz was already shivering. It was going to be one hell of a stay down here.

The basement wasn’t large. It was split into a central hallway and six small cells barred with thick iron gates, three on each side. The staircase was the only exit and had a heavy stone door that could be locked as well. On the far side of the room was a small furnace, presumably so that any inmates wouldn’t freeze to death. That was nice, at least.

“You could just...let me go,” Kravitz said plaintively. “Tell him I escaped. He knows I have magic, right? I swear I’ll never come back here again.”

“Come on. I know I come off as a pushover, but I’m not.” Magnus led him over to one of the cells and opened the door. There was a small straw mattress and a bucket inside. “In you go.”

“You’d just let him keep me in here indefinitely?” Kravitz asked, not walking forward. “I’ll freeze down here.”

Magnus pushed him inside. “You won’t freeze. I’ll start the furnace,” he said. “Taako won’t keep you down here forever. He said he just wanted to figure out what to do with you, right?”

“You’re very reassuring,” Kravitz said dryly. He watched in despair as Magnus locked the iron gate and headed over to the furnace. “You really aren’t going to help me? I...I could help you. I know people. What do you want? I could get you your own carpentry joint. You and Julia could get out of here, start over somewhere else.”

Magnus remained silent as he cleaned the cobwebs out of the furnace. It took him a few tries to get it lit properly, but soon enough, a fire was roaring to life in the grate.

“That won’t last all day, but I’ll send someone down with extra wood with your next meal,” he said, finally turning back to Kravitz.

“How about a card game? Poker? Black Jack, maybe?” Kravitz tried, wrapping his hands around the cold bars. “If I win, you let me go.”

“Yeah? And what if I win, huh?” Magnus asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Like I said – I know a lot of people. People who owe me favors. What do you want?”

“I want to not get _robbed_ , my man.”

Kravitz sighed, pressing his forehead against the bars. “Magnus, _please_ , I can’t stay in here.”

“You probably should have thought of that before you tried to swipe something, dude,” Magnus said, frowning. “Look, you’re kind of turning out to be a huge dick, and I’m not actually that impressed. I guess there’s a point in your favor that you gave the rose back and fixed it, but I don’t think Taako’s gonna be moved by your kindness or anything.”

Kravitz fought an eye roll. It was clear that the ex-prince or whatever was just a greedy asshole who cared more about his possessions than anything else. His castle was rundown and falling apart, his subjects had all moved out, and all he had left was a sorry handful of overly loyal servants. From Kravitz’ perspective, the prince had gotten exactly what was coming to him.

He didn’t have a reply, though. He _did_ feel guilty about the entire incident, particularly after everyone had been so kind to him. It had been a stupid plan from the beginning.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said, smiling ruefully. He wrapped himself up in his cloak and settled down on the uncomfortable bed.

“I’ll have someone bring down some water,” Magnus said, and he closed and locked the door behind him.

* * *

A gnome with a fancy jacket and an impressive mustache was the one to bring Kravitz water. Kravitz was relatively certain he hadn’t seen him before. He was cold and miserable and lonely, but the only thing he could get out of the gnome was that his name was Davenport. And then Kravitz was alone again.

He tried magic within the first hour he was there, but that idea was quickly shut down. The bars had some sort of anti-magic ward on them, and the magic fizzled out almost before he finished humming the tune. There were no windows, no gaps in the stones, no holes or anything else he could think of to exploit. He was well and truly trapped down here.

Ren brought him dinner that evening. Kravitz was pleased at first to see a friendly face, but he soon realized that he no longer seemed to merit her cordiality.

“I’m only down here because the boss ordered me to bring you something to eat,” she said tersely as she opened up the iron gate just far enough to hand him a tray of freshly prepared food. “And it’s only _good_ food because I took it out of what I prepared for everyone else.”

“Thank you,” Kravitz said contritely, accepting the tray. “It smells wonderful.”

She didn’t reply, but she didn’t immediately leave either. He assumed she was going to stick around until he finished eating, so he sat down on the straw bed and began his meal. “I, uh...I know you’re probably pretty mad at me,” he said, “and I _am_ sorry I betrayed your trust.”

“Fat lot of good an apology does,” she retorted.

“I’m aware.” He hesitated. “I didn’t mean any harm. I thought...well, it was selfish of me, but I thought that you all must have many things worth a lot of money here in a prince’s castle. I thought maybe you wouldn’t miss one little thing.”

“You’re right. You _are_ selfish. Shows us for trusting a stranger so blindly, though, I s’pose.”

“I just...need to get back to my family,” he went on. “I can’t do that without any coin.”

“And you can’t do that at all in jail either.”

Okay, apparently she was not as sympathetic as he had hoped. He ate in silence for a few more minutes. If nothing else, at least the food was good.

“Do you think he’ll let me out soon?” he finally asked.

“Don’t know, but I hope he kicks you out on your ass as soon as he does.”

If he didn’t, Kravitz mused, Kravitz would just leave on his own, sadly empty handed. He wasn’t so foolish as to try robbing the place again. He would just have to find the money another way. Skimming a little off the top of a prince’s fortune was preferable to many other money making methods, but that ship had sailed.

“Are you about done?” she asked.

“Nearly.” He was going to draw out the last few bites, just to be an asshole. “Why are you so loyal to him, anyway?”

She regarded him for a long moment. “You’ve barely met him,” she pointed out. “And you’ve barely seen him anything other than angry. You don’t get to ask questions like that.”

“So he has some positive traits? Forgive me for prying, but I’d like to appeal to his better nature.” Assuming he even had one.

She sighed. “He’s a bitter, angry asshole with a temper problem,” she said. “But you would be too in his position. He didn’t always look like that, you know. He used to be an elven prince. But some bad things happened in town, and everybody blamed him for it. So everyone left town, even most of the servants, and this sorceress came and cursed him for it.”

Kravitz blinked at the story. It sounded like something straight out of a fairy tale. “Let me guess – he needs to find true love to break the curse?”

She glowered at him. “It’s the truth.”

He shrugged. He wasn’t sure if he believed her, but it didn’t matter anyway. “So you knew him before he was...like that.”

“I been the castle cook here for the better part of a century,” she said haughtily. “I’d say I know him better than anyone else in this entire castle. Now finish up that meal before I tell him he outta have you executed.”

Kravitz finished his meal quickly and passed the tray back through the bars for her. He was _pretty_ sure it was an empty threat, but he didn’t want to push his luck either. If Ren had really been acquainted with the prince for that long, then there was a chance he might actually listen to her.

Her words had given him a lot to consider. Clearly, the servants here could leave at any time. The monster didn’t appear to be stopping them from going. Ren and Magnus and Julia had all proven to be quite loyal to him as well. Magnus didn’t seem like the best judge of character, but he’d also been pretty protective when it came to the monster. Everyone Kravitz had talked to bent over backwards to defend him.

Maybe there was something to what Ren had said. There was clearly _something_ about the monster that everyone found valuable and inspiring.

He wrapped himself in his cloak again and laid down on the bed. It was going to be difficult to withhold judgment on a literal monster that had thrown him into a dungeon, but maybe it was worth a shot anyway.

Well, not like he’d be allowed upstairs anytime soon. And when he was, he didn’t plan to stick around.

* * *

The next morning, it wasn’t Ren who came down the stairs to bring Kravitz breakfast and add wood to the dying furnace. In fact, there was no one to bring him breakfast or tinder at all. It was just the strange dwarf who was missing various body parts. Merle, if he remembered correctly.

“Good morning, kid,” Merle said cheerfully as he opened the door to the dungeon. “Damn! It’s cold as shit down here! Did you notice how cold it was down here?”

Kravitz was curled up inside his cape. He wasn’t freezing cold, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable. “Um, yes, I had noticed.”

“This dungeon sucks!”

“I mean, it’s a dungeon. It isn’t supposed to be like a spa day.”

“That’s true.” He ambled on over and unlocked the door to Kravitz’ cell. “You want out?”

“Yes? Yes. I do. Is this a trick?”

“Nah.” Merle swung the door open and beckoned for Kravitz to follow. “The boss guy wants you upstairs for the trial.”

That sounded ominous. “A...trial?”

“Just kidding, kid. He’s already decided what he’s gonna do with you.”

“That’s...very reassuring,” Kravitz said, trying to ignore the mounting dread. The monster didn’t particularly strike him as someone full of generosity or a forgiving nature. He got to his feet and stretched out before following Merle.

Merle kept up a pleasant, if one-sided, conversation as they headed back up the long stone stairwell. Kravitz wasn’t sure exactly what was going on or why Merle had been chosen to retrieve him, but he didn’t seem to harbor any ill will regarding the stolen rose. Or so Kravitz presumed; the topic didn’t come up, and he wasn’t about to start something.

Magnus was waiting for them at the top of the stairs. He eyed Kravitz critically. “No running,” he said.

Kravitz held up his hands. “I promise. No running,” he replied. “But give it to me straight. Am I about to get executed or something?”

Magnus stared at him and then started laughing. “For stealing something and then giving it back?”

“Your boss didn’t leave the best impression on me,” Kravitz replied, frowning.

“You’re better off with Taako than with _him_ ,” Merle said, glaring at Magnus. “That guy will cut off your dang arm.”

Magnus groaned. “I _saved your life_.”

“You cut off my arm!!”

“Yes, Merle! You would have died if the arm had stayed on! I cut off your arm, and, in doing so, saved your life!”

“You watch out for this guy, Krav. He’s got a _thing_ for cutting off arms.”

“Don’t say things like that. God, now he’s gonna think I have an arm fetish or something.”

“You said it, not me.”

“Wait until he finds out what _you’re_ into, old man!”

“Fascinating,” Kravitz groaned.

Magnus and Merle led him to a different part of the castle, off a wing to the right of the entrance hall and across from where the servants’ quarters had been. This area was clearly meant for the royalty to use themselves. It was decorated with plush carpet, ornate wall sconces, and the occasional flower stand, and there were rows of pictures hanging on the walls. To Kravitz, it was just more gaudy reminders that the monster could have easily afforded to part with one of his silly, needlessly expensive trinkets.

Kravitz had the idea that Magnus and Merle’s banter was more for his benefit than anyone else’s, to try and relax him. But no talk of the weird things Magnus had removed the arms from was going to alleviate all of his anxieties. Trying to run off did cross his mind and not only because Magnus had told him not to try it, but he was still sore from the last time Magnus had body slammed him. Besides that, he wasn’t familiar with this area of the castle. He could probably find his way back out, but the odds were pretty well stacked against him.

He just didn’t have any idea of what to expect from the monster prince. Execution really wasn’t that much of a worry; if he was going to be killed, he would have been already. Merle had raised an interesting point, though. There were rumors that in parts of the world, thieves would have their hands cut off in retaliation. He didn’t know if the stories were true or not, but he didn’t really care to find out personally.

If the prince was just going to keep him imprisoned, he wouldn’t have brought him up here. So there had to be some other punishment. Perhaps he’d be flogged. It wasn’t his first choice of entertainment, but it was pretty straightforward and meant he would be out of here soon. Better than losing a hand, at least; that was for certain.

He didn’t have the time to come up with any other ideas for punishment before Merle led him into a room off the side of the hallway. The room was large, with a high, vaulted ceiling and windows that took up almost the entire wall. There was a door leading out to the expansive balcony Kravitz had noticed from the outside of the palace. The fireplace was made out of a beautiful white stone adorned with intricate gold filigree, and a purple fire roared pleasantly in the hearth. The wall opposite of the fireplace had three large bookshelves against it along with a sliding ladder to access the top shelves.

In front of the bookshelves, there was a desk made out of a dark, beautifully carved wood. There were papers stacked haphazardly on one side and a number of books stacked on top of them. Two books were open in the clearing of the middle of the desk. There were a few empty ink vials that hadn’t been taken care of.

And sitting at the desk was the prince.

It was a strange facsimile of sitting, at least. He had inhumanly long legs that appeared to have an extra joint in them, and they folded outwards in a way that seemed unpleasant at best. He was bent over the desk, paging through one of the open books intently, though he glanced up when the three of them entered.

Davenport was also in the room, standing next to the prince’s desk. He looked as formal and straight-laced as he had when Kravitz had first met him. He didn’t say a word.

Kravitz noticed almost immediately the same lack of cleanliness that affected the other parts of the castle. The books on the shelves were covered with a fine layer of dust. The glass panes in the windows were grimy at the edges, as though they hadn’t been cleaned in a long while. The hearth had sooty black spots around it that hadn’t been cleaned up yet.

“Hmph,” said the prince, marking the page in his book and closing it. He stood up from the desk, his odd gait making him look like he was slinking over to the other side of the desk. “So here he is, in the flesh. The _thief_.”

Kravitz averted his gaze for a moment before flicking his eyes back to the monster’s face. He didn’t reply.

“What are you gonna do with him?” Merle asked.

“Shut up, old man. I’m getting to that,” the prince scoffed. “You two can leave or whatever.”

“Um. I can’t guard both doors, Taako,” Magnus pointed out.

“I dunno. If he goes out on the balcony, the only way off is down.” Merle made a whistling noise descending in pitch as he pointed downward. “If he wants out so badly, maybe we should just let him.”

“Boys. Boys. I’m trying to be dramatic and scary, and you’re fucking it up for me,” the prince grumbled. “Fine. Stay, whatever. But you have to shut up.”

Merle made a zipping motion over his mouth, and Magnus saluted. Davenport, who still hadn’t said a word, remained standing still.

Kravitz still had difficulty reading the monster’s body language, but it wasn’t hard to guess the emotion behind his exaggerated eye roll.

“All right, listen. You tried to steal from me. You broke something valuable and precious,” he rumbled, turning his piercing golden stare back to Kravitz. “I’d really rather never see your pretty face again. But unfortunately, if I turn you out, you just go free with no consequences for your actions, and Taako ain’t about that. You see my problem?”

Kravitz pursed his lips and didn’t reply.

“I’ll assume that’s a yes. Anyway, I figured I’d have you pay for it, but you’ve got like six pieces of gold in your bag. Six. That’s the most bullshit amount of cash I’ve ever heard of some poor bastard carrying. That rose you broke? That was worth fifty thousand gold, easy. So I gotta think of another way to get my recompense.”

“I fixed it,” Kravitz said quietly.

The monster’s ears flicked toward Kravitz, pointing upwards. “Come again?”

“I said, I fixed it. You shouldn’t be out any gold for it.”

“That’s not the point, my dude. The point is that you tried to fuck me over, and you don’t got enough gold to buy a ladder to climb out of the hole you’ve dug yourself into. So you’ll have to pay me back another way. That’s right, thug, you just got a new job courtesy of yours truly.”

“I’m sorry?” Kravitz stared at him.

“Now, it’d take your the rest of your shitty, half human life to work off fifty thousand gold, so we’ll have to make some other deal,” the prince went on, ignoring Kravitz entirely. So I’ll give you a few gold off since you gave it back and fixed it. Like, you did a shit job fixing it, but you _tried_ , and I guess that’s the spirit of the thing.”

Kravitz put on his best impassive face. He would not give the monster prince the satisfaction of knowing how irritated he was with the entire situation.

“I was thinking, oh, maybe two years of servitude? What do you say, thug?”

Kravitz was in no position to bargain, but getting trapped in here for _t_ _wo_ _year_ _s_ was ridiculous.

“Six months,” he said flatly.

“Done,” the monster replied. “Wonderful, happy to have you on board. Cap’n’port, shake the man’s hand.”

Kravitz realized belatedly that he should have bargained lower. The prince had purposely put his offer much too high. He let Davenport shake his hand, surprisingly firmly, and wondered what the hell he had gotten himself into.

“Now, a few rules for you,” the prince went on. “You can keep your own bedroom as long as you don’t fuss with the door, which will be locked at night. You gotta take a piss? Do it in a chamber pot or whatever, I don’t give a fuck. In the morning, someone will come let you out and then you get chaperoned the entire day until bedtime. You do whatever my dudes here tell you to. If you steal anything else, you try to sneak out, whatever, we’ll put you back in the dungeon and decide what to do with you then. We clear?”

Kravitz plastered a fake smile on his face and bowed deeply. “Of course, your majesty.”

The prince snorted. “Cool, keep that up and you’ll go far, bubbeleh,” he said. “Maggie, Merle, he’s all yours. Have fun, toodles. Cap’n’port, find me that book on crime and punishment again, would you?”

“Well,” Merle said a few minutes later, after they were back out in the hallway. “That wasn’t so bad, huh? I thought he was gonna bring you down to the torture dungeon. Haha!”

“Don’t take it too hard, Kravitz,” Magnus said, patting him on the shoulder. “Six months will go by before you know it. Because you’ll be busy. Like, super busy. If you haven’t noticed, we need a ton of extra help to fix up castle.”

“I can’t wait,” Kravitz said with a sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you may have noticed that Taako calls Kravitz "half human" in this chapter. That's because Kravitz is a half elf, and since Taako is an elf (or like was at one point), he uses the term "half human" instead of "half elf."
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please consider letting me know with a comment or a kudo. It helps me get motivated to work on this story.
> 
> If you wanna chat, you can find me on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). Otherwise, I'll see you next Friday with an update I'm very much looking forward to. :D


	4. The Moonlit Sorceress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bard begins his indentured servitude at the castle in Glamour Springs, attempting to make amends with the staff and maybe even learn to tolerate the monster prince. Maybe he'll even unravel the mystery of what happened here. But every lead he follows just raises more questions than it answers.
> 
> Join Kravitz as he finds out how hard maintaining an entire castle is, meets a new friend (?), and fails to eat a cookie.

Kravitz wasn’t exactly a homemaker by trade, but he kept his living area generally clean and tidy. He knew how to do laundry and wash dishes and dust shelves and the like. He assumed working as a caretaker in a castle wouldn’t be too much different, just on a bigger scale.

He was wrong.

Everyone was responsible for their own rooms, and that bit was easy enough. It wasn’t difficult to change his sheets once a week and sweep out the hearth and keep his clothes clean. There was a loose floorboard under the bed that made sweeping a pain, and whoever had had his room before had left a few items here and there. But it was just a few books, a sweater, and a pair of slippers that did not fit Kravitz. That was easily packed up and stowed away in the closet.

But after breakfast on Kravitz’ first day, Magnus cheerfully announced that he was glad he finally had some good help for carrying lumber back to the castle, Ren added that she was looking forward to not doing all the dishes anymore, and Sloane rubbed her hands together and expressed joy at no longer having to clean the chamber pots.

The work was difficult and tiring, but Magnus had been right about one thing: the time did pass pretty quickly. Two weeks into his six month stint saw him with chapped hands from washing so many dishes, sore arms from dragging tinder to the castle, and a daily reminder that he was still allergic to dust.

He was still somewhat bitter about being forced into the job, but he was slowly working his way back into the good graces of the other servants. He didn’t complain about the work they gave him. He didn’t attempt to leave his room at night. He had no intentions of trying to steal anything else. And, well, the work wasn’t fun, but this was at least giving him some time to hide out while things on the outside cooled down a bit. Maybe it wasn’t ideal, but he was safe and had a warm bed and plenty to eat.

He got to know everyone else in the palace pretty quickly. Magnus, of course, was the head of maintenance, and he also replaced furniture once it could no longer be repaired. Hurley and Killian both worked under him. Ren was the castle cook, and Julia took care of the hunting. Merle was the groundskeeper and had what sounded like a sizable garden during the warmer months. He helped out with the indoor chores mostly during the winter. Sloane helped with the garden too but mostly dedicated her time to sewing. Carey seemed to specialize mostly in pulling pranks on Magnus and getting into trouble with Sloane, but she helped out wherever she was needed. The lot of them were friendly enough, although most of them were still wary of Kravitz. Sloane and Carey, on the other hand, had both complimented his technique.

The only servant he didn’t see much of was Davenport. He worked as the prince’s personal assistant, always on call and tending to him throughout the day. The prince himself didn’t show up often where Kravitz was working. He got the idea the prince didn’t avoid anyone else, so if that was what he was in fact doing, well, Kravitz wasn’t going to complain.

Whenever they did have the misfortune of meeting up, Kravitz made sure to make an over the top show of respect. He bowed deeply and used the most formal, flowery titles he could think up. The display was very obviously just an act. Kravitz didn’t want the prince to get the idea he _liked_ him. The prince, however, seemed to think this was amusing rather than disrespectful.

As a servant, Kravitz had access to more of the castle. Many rooms were closed off and unused, though he could probably get in if he really wanted to. Both of the towers were off limits. One held the prince’s personal quarters, where he apparently didn’t allow anyone. The other was the tower that Kravitz had thought looked strange from the outside. He found out why soon enough. The pink crystal he had thought was protecting the outside of the castle was also on the inside. The door leading to the second tower was encased firmly in the crystal, and no one could get it open. From the outside, it was clear that the crystal went all the way up to the top of the tower.

The strangest part was that no one could tell him _why_ it was like that. He got a few dismissive hand waves when he asked about it. Julia said it had something to do with the prince’s curse, but she didn’t say what. No one seemed particularly worried about this tower that they couldn’t access, though, and so Kravitz let the issue be.

Dawn of the first day of his third week there saw him, as usual, squinting into a small mirror as he pinned his dreadlocks back under a bandana. He headed for the kitchen for breakfast, after which he would spend a few hours cleaning up the dishes and then see what they had in store for him for the afternoon.

Hurley showed up when most everyone was finished eating and Kravitz was sliding on his apron to prepare for the dishes. “Heads up, everyone,” she called. “Lucretia popped in during the night.”

This got a murmur from the group while Kravitz looked around in confusion. “Who is Lucretia?” he asked Hurley.

“She used to be the castle wizard, back in the day,” Hurley replied. “I never really knew her. Apparently, she left at some point, and when she came back, she didn’t like how Taako was running things and cursed him.”

Kravitz raised his eyebrows. “The sorceress who cursed him comes back to the castle?” he asked. “What for? To gloat?”

“I haven’t got a clue,” she replied, shrugging. “All I know is Taako is completely insufferable whenever she’s around, so watch yourself.”

“That implies he isn’t completely insufferable normally,” Kravitz pointed out.

Hurley shrugged. “Just steer clear of him today.”

Kravitz supposed he couldn’t really blame the prince for being upset about having to deal with the woman who had cursed him into a monster in the first place. He was intrigued, though. This was more information than he’d managed to get on the entire curse situation the entire time he had been there. He wasn’t sure how much he wanted to meet an evil sorceress, but Hurley also hadn’t advised him to avoid _her_. This could be a good time to get more information.

He carried a pile of plates into the kitchen and stacked them with the others next to the wash basin. Ren was already within, cleaning up her work area. She still had not entirely forgiven him, but she didn’t seem to be angry any longer, at least.

“So who is this Lucretia woman? She cursed the prince?” he asked as he began filling the basin.

“That’s the story,” she replied. “I wasn’t there when it happened, so I couldn’t say.”

That was an interesting response. Ren normally had a tendency to bend over backwards to defend the prince and insisted over and over that he was a good person who had had a rough break. Kravitz had assumed she would be itching to talk about the horrible woman who had given the prince said rough break.

“You don’t think she was responsible for what happened?” he asked casually.

She shrugged. “Taako says she is. You gonna stand there and try to get me to gossip all day, or you gonna wash some dishes?”

He rolled his eyes and started scrubbing. “I didn’t ask what _he_ said. I want to know what you think. You know him better than anyone, right?”

“Dunno about that. I’ve known him for a long time, but Davenport probably knows him better than I do. Good luck getting _him_ to gossip, though.”

She was right about that. Kravitz had barely heard the man say two words since he had gotten here.

“What’s his deal, anyway?”

“You’re awful curious about all this,” she commented.

“I’m going to be here for six months,” he pointed out. “I might as well get to know everybody.”

She hesitated. “Well, Davenport was here before I was. It’s _his_ castle, sort of. He’s acting as a reagent for the elven monarchy,” she explained. “It was his job to prepare Taako for one day becoming king. He...blames himself, I think? I’m not sure. He hasn’t said much ever since Taako got cursed.”

“It’s a little strange, though, isn’t it?” Kravitz mused. “Maybe it’s just because I’m only half elven and don’t know better, but I always thought elven monarchs came in pairs. Like, you know. King Edward and Queen Lydia.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, sure, that’s the way they usually do it. Twins are lucky. But it’s hardly the first time. The Underdark only has one queen at a time. Anyway, Taako was a special case,” she said. “Supposedly, he was lucky to be chosen, and that was enough luck to make it worth it.”

“Seems like he wasn’t very lucky at all,” Kravitz mused.

“It doesn’t.”

They worked in silence for a few more minutes until the door leading in front the royal dining room opened. Kravitz immediately went into defensive mode. The prince liked to hang out in the kitchen sometimes, and he and Davenport were the only ones to use that door.

But it was neither the monster nor Davenport. Instead, it was an unusually tall human woman wearing a regal blue and white dress and carrying a tall white oak staff. She was very handsome, with dark brown skin and pale hair, and she looked to be somewhere in her mid 50s. She carried herself with an air of nobility as she stepped in through the door.

This had to be Lucretia, the sorceress who had cursed the prince, but Kravitz was surprised. Evil sorceresses were rarely human in all the stories, after all. Humans liked to think that it took a few centuries to become that evil, he supposed, although he had seen much evidence to the contrary. It was probably more to do with the level of magic these evil sorceresses tended to possess.

“Hiya, Lucretia,” Ren said pleasantly.

“Good morning, Ren,” Lucretia replied. “And good morning to you. I’m afraid I don’t know you. Ren, have you hired on some new help?”

“Kravitz here is a would-be thief, actually,” Ren replied cheerfully. Kravitz bit back a scowl. “Taako put him to work absolve his crime.”

“Charmed,” Kravitz said, giving Lucretia an embarrassed smile. He might as well come off unimposing and not let Ren know he was annoyed, he figured. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’d shake your hand, but...” He pulled his hands out of the dish water. “You’d probably rather I didn’t.”

Lucretia raised one single eyebrow, giving him the most unimpressed look he had ever received. “You attempted to steal from Taako?”

“In my defense, I hadn’t met him yet at that point,” Kravitz replied sheepishly.

“You thought the castle was empty?”

“See, that’s the thing,” Ren put in. “He came running into town being chased by a pack of wolves, and Julia saved his ass. She let him in for the night, and the next morning, Taako’s yelling about his shit going missing.”

Kravitz put on an appropriately contrite expression. “I made a number of mistakes that evening.”

“Well,” Lucretia said, looking him over. “He’s got balls.”

“For better or for worse,” Ren agreed.

Kravitz cleared his throat. “You’re here looking for the prince, right?” he said, deliberately changing the subject before things got weirder and more uncomfortable. “He isn’t in here.”

“I can see that,” Lucretia replied, nodding. “Thank you for your insight.”

“Pardon my curiosity, but what exactly do you want with him?” he persisted. “I’m told that he, uh, doesn’t much care for you.”

“Did they also tell you that I’m the evil sorceress who put the curse on him and turned him into a monster?” she deadpanned.

“I’m quite sure no one said ‘evil.’”

“What a relief.” Her voice was flat. “At any rate, my business with him is none of yours, I’m afraid.”

Kravitz shrugged. “Fair enough. I just find a situation like this one very...curious.”

“He’s a bard,” said Ren.

“An _aspiring_ bard,” he insisted.

“Ah,” said Lucretia shortly. “That explains everything. Well, I’ll be off now. I apologize in advance for souring Taako’s mood.”

“I’m sure it’s already soured, Lucretia,” Ren replied. “Make sure you stay for lunch.”

“I’ll do that.” She turned and walked out of the room again.

Kravitz stared at the door to the dining room for a long moment, trying to parse through the conversation they had just had for hints. In the end, meeting the infamous sorceress had only raised more questions than it had answered.

Ren elbowed him in the side. “Did that answer your questions?” she asked.

“Not a single one,” he admitted.

“Well, you think long and hard about it over those dishes,” she said. “Hurry it up, they ain’t gonna wash themselves.”

* * *

Kravitz wasn’t aware of Lucretia’s departure from the castle, but he was _extremely_ aware of the prince’s sour mood over the next few days. He may have been avoiding Kravitz before, but he certainly wasn’t going out of his way to do so now. He prowled around the kitchen like a particularly petulant dog and snapped at Ren’s cooking habits until she sweetly suggested he start looking for a new castle cook if her work was so poor.

That did get him to leave for a while, and Kravitz was aware of him skulking around the castle and insulting anyone he came across. It wasn’t a surprise that the servants largely tended to let him get away with it. That was what servants of royalty were trained to do. Even if they were strong willed and competent when the prince wasn’t around, they nodded demurely and murmured, “Forgive me, my lord,” when the prince shouted at them.

What was worse was how everyone in the entire castle seemed to genuinely not mind his behavior. This was normal for them. And they were still falling over themselves to defend the monster responsible.

It was getting on Kravitz’ nerves.

But what could he do about it? He counted down the days one by one, marking them down on a calendar, and waited for the prince’s temper to calm down. He bit his tongue when the prince insulted his work. He pretended none of this was wearing him down.

When the monster still hadn’t calmed down a full week after Lucretia had gone, Kravitz began to wonder if he was just always like this, and he’d actually met the prince on a _good_ day.

Ren had thrown him out of the kitchen for the afternoon, and so he had helped Magnus chop firewood for the past few hours. While most of the heat in the castle was powered by magic, it was important to make sure they had plenty of wood for the coming winter. Magic was generally more reliable and less costly than wood heat, but Magnus stressed the importance of having a back up. Besides, some of the smaller, more archaic furnaces weren’t optimized for magical heat.

A thick blanket of snow had fallen the night before, and even inside the warm wolf skin parka and gloves he was borrowing from Magnus, he couldn’t feel his fingers by the time they were finished. He had a little time to warm up and rest before he was supposed to join Merle and help with the washing, and he fully intended on using that time to make a quick up of tea to warm himself up.

There was the sweet scent of something chocolaty baking in the air as he headed for the kitchen. The prospect of Ren baking cookies lightened his mood considerably. But his hopes were dashed when he entered the kitchen and found the monster at the counter instead.

There was a tray of chocolate chip cookies resting on a cooling rack on the counter near the door to the servants’ dining area. The prince as standing over a mixing bowl, clutching a wooden spoon in one horrible claw, and stirring. Those piercing amber eyes shot up when Kravitz entered, aware of his every movement.

Kravitz should have turned around and left the kitchen. He should have just given up and headed back out. But _god_ _s_ , he was tired of bending to the monster’s whims. He was going to have a cup of tea, the monster be damned.

“What are you doing?” the monster rumbled.

Kravitz marched over to the cabinet where the tea kettle was kept. He pulled it out and held it up. “I’m making tea,” he replied. “Do you want some, your grace?”

“Do I look like the tea drinking type?” the prince asked. “Fuck yeah, of course I do. Don’t touch any of my stuff.” He curled protectively around the mixing bowl, as though Kravitz was going to use that to make tea.

Kravitz rolled his eyes and put the water on the stove. “I didn’t know you cooked,” he commented, because standing here silently waiting for water to boil sounded uncomfortable.

“What gave it away?”

“The cookies,” he replied. “They smell good.”

“Natch,” the prince preened. “Don’t touch them either. Taako’s food is for Taako only. Hands off. No touchy.”

Kravitz rolled his eyes. “How will I know if you’re any good, then?”

“You’re joking, right? Me? Taako? Maybe you’ve heard of me? You know, the crown prince of the Felicity Wilds? Good at cooking? Duh, obviously,” the monster snorted. “Don’t make me laugh. I’m better than Ren. I taught her everything she knows.”

“I wonder what she’d say if I told her you said that.”

“She’d agree, cause it’s true.” The prince paused, inspecting his claws for a moment and then buffing them against his chest. “Anyway, you’ll just have to trust me. Because you’re still not getting any cookies, no matter how much you question me.”

Kravitz shrugged as he got out two cups and put in the tea leaves to steep. “I guess I’ll never know what I’m missing.”

“Fuck off. I’m not sharing.”

He tried his best not to be irritated as he prepared the tea. But the truth of the matter was that he was still annoyed with the prince and the way he treated his hired help. Besides that, he was practically a prisoner here. While he acknowledged that what he’d done was wrong and was ready to reap the benefits of staying hidden here for a time, that didn’t change the fact. They still locked him in his room at night.

He wanted one of those shitty, stupid cookies that probably didn’t even taste that good. Taako could go on and on about how great he was (and he would, given the slightest opportunity, obviously), but if he didn’t let anyone try them, then what was the point of saying it? He was probably a mediocre cook at best, putting down Ren to make himself feel better.

Once the tea had had enough time to properly steep, he poured two cups. He slid one over toward the monster and took the other one for himself. The monster, now carefully spooning out dollops of dough onto a baking sheet, didn’t even bother to thank him.

Dark mood in full swing now, Kravitz snatched a cookie from the cooling rack. He didn’t care if the monster saw him. It was a bad idea for a number of reasons, but he didn’t care right then.

He didn’t even get to take the first bite before he was noticed. The monster leaped across the kitchen, flying clean over the counter top, and slammed into him. Kravitz was aware first of the searing pain in his arm holding the cookie and then the burning as his tea spilled down his front. He yelped in surprise and pain, falling backwards against the counter with the cookies and barely managing to keep himself upright.

The monster backed off, cradling his precious cookie in his claws and giving Kravitz a seething glare. “Do not eat the fucking cookies, Krav,” he spat angrily.

“Fuck your cookies, _Taako_ ,” Kravitz said deliberately. “I’m getting real tired of your bullshit.”

The beast rose up onto his back feet, stretching his strange legs until he had to hunch over because the ceiling was in his way. He was clearly trying to be intimidating, but Kravitz couldn’t bring himself to give a damn. “What did you just say to me?”

“I said fuck your cookies, and fuck you,” Kravitz snapped. “You’re just a bully. You push your servants around because you’re pissed at some lady for cursing you, like that’s actually going to help. How long has it been, _Taako?_ Has it helped? No. Your entire castle town ran away. Most of your servants abandoned you. You know, I almost felt bad for you once, but not anymore. Someday, everyone’s just going to leave you here by yourself to languish, and you’ll have brought that entirely on yourself.”

Kravitz expected a lot of things in that moment. Maybe he’d be backhanded, or maybe dragged back down to the dungeon. Maybe the monster would shout at him some more. Maybe someone would overhear and run in to rescue him.

What actually happened caught him completely off guard.

The monster shrunk down in on himself and leaned toward Kravitz’ face so that they were eye to eye. He snarled, revealing his hideous, pointed teeth. A clawed hand came down against the counter, sending cookies flying and gouging the wood there like it was nothing.

“You wanna fucking say that again?” he hissed, his voice deadly quiet. It was far more unsettling than it would have been if he had shouted. “You don’t know _shit_ about me, kemosabe.”

Those teeth were inches from Kravitz’ throat, the monster’s breath hot on his face. The wooden counter top tore like paper under the monster’s thick claws. For the first time since he had arrived, Kravitz was genuinely afraid for his life.

He had the presence of mind to cast longstrider _before_ running this time, dashing out of the kitchen and back toward the castle proper. He was leaving this accursed castle behind, and he was _never_ coming back. Maybe he got along with some of the servants, maybe he even considered them to be friends, but he couldn’t stand this place for one second longer.

It didn’t take long before he ran directly into Magnus. “Kravitz?” he asked, grasping Kravitz’ biceps. “What the fuck – I heard yelling, and – ”

“I’m leaving,” Kravitz gasped, trying to pull out of Magnus’ grip. “He _attacked_ me.”

Magnus looked down. Kravitz’ forearm was a bloody mess now, but four distinct claw marks were still visible through the holes ripped in his sleeve.

Kravitz wrenched out of his grip and ran again.

“Kravitz! Wait! Wait, hold on! You don’t...”

He didn’t wait around to hear what Magnus had to say. He pushed through the doorway into the entrance way and then shoved the front doors open. The snow made the stone bridge slick, but he made it through, clinging his injured arm to his chest. The world seemed hazy and it was getting dark, but he could see well enough to get to the gates.

Julia must have been out hunting because the gates were unlocked. He slid through them without a second thought, ignoring the shouting from behind him. He kept running. Soon, all he could hear was the sound of his own breathing echoing between his ears and all he could feel was the cold and the burning sensation of his arm.

He knew he was being stupid, that he wouldn’t get anywhere like this. Night was falling, and he wasn’t even wearing a cloak. But his mind felt fuzzy and his legs weak. He didn’t know how far he was going to be able to get. He had to find that road that led out of town. He stumbled in the snow, went down onto his knees, grabbed a tree to pull himself back up…

When had it gotten so dark? He pressed his forehead against the tree, trying to get his bearings. That was when he heard it – a howl in the near distance.

The wolves.

He had to keep moving. It didn’t matter where at this point. He just needed to go. He stumbled against another tree, weaving unsteadily as he moved. There were flashes of motion around him, but he couldn’t make out any shapes. More howling, closer this time. The wolves were surrounding him again, but it was too dark and his mind too muddled to follow them.

Something lunged at him, and he winced away, unable to concentrate well enough to use magic and too uncoordinated to properly dodge. But instead of something slamming into him, he heard a yelp of pain from one of the wolves. He blinked, trying to focus on what was happening.

It was...the monster. The prince. He had followed Kravitz out here, and he was – he slashed his claws again, and another wolf yelped. Taako was fighting the wolves off.

Kravitz couldn’t put together the implications of what was happening. He slid down the tree until he was sitting in the snow, watching in bleary horror as Taako’s claws swept through the wolves over and over. Then someone else was there, shaking his shoulder roughly.

“Kravitz. Kravitz? Can you hear me?”

It was Magnus’ voice. Kravitz looked up at him. He was carrying his ax, but he put it away onto his back while Kravitz watched. His face was red and he was panting for breath. When Kravitz didn’t answer, he pulled off his cloak and pulled Kravitz away from the tree just far enough wrap the cloak around him.

Kravitz wasn’t cold. He should have been, but he wasn’t. He didn’t feel anything, nothing but the angry, burning throb of his arm.

“Get him back to the castle,” came another voice. The prince.

Kravitz didn’t want to see the prince. He closed his eyes. A pair of arms wrapped around him, warm and strong, and he groaned as he was lifted.

“His arm...”

“Just get him to Merle, fast. He’s poisoned.”

“Yeah. _Fuck_. Okay.”

The motion jostled his arm, and suddenly, everything felt too hot. Magnus murmured reassuring platitudes to him as they went, and Kravitz allowed himself to be comforted.

He was out cold before they even made it to the castle gates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Early chapter! Since this Friday is Valentine's Day and tomorrow is a highly anticipated [ATTYPF](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15501099/chapters/35984763) update (which is a very good fic that y'all should read), I decided to post today instead! And maybe because I want you all to suffer with this cliffhanger for an extra day or two. I'm sorry. I'm one of _those_ authors.
> 
> Anyway, please consider leaving a comment or a kudo if you liked it! It means a lot to me. The reception of this fic has been overwhelmingly lovely so far. I haven't posted much of any fic in something like 5 years, and I was terrified I just wasn't that good anymore. So, you know, it's great to hear I haven't lost all of it. :)
> 
> Come find me on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack) if you want to chat!


	5. Interlude I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More details of our tale as old as time have become clear. Perhaps a rewrite of the old fairy tale is in order.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and prosperous kingdom called Faerun. It had large cities bustling with people. Many of those people were wealthy, well fed, and happy. The main streets were always kept clean, and the buildings on those streets were always well tended, and the tenants of those buildings were always prim and proper.

But, as with many things, there was another side to all of that beauty and prosperity.

For every person living there with a comfortable life, there were ten more who struggled to get by each day. Some lived in squalor. Many were not able to find consistent food or shelter. Others were forced to move around often to find work.

One of these people was a small elf boy who had been born to a family among these ranks. He was passed back and forth between aunts and uncles and cousins who did not want to or simple could not afford to care for him. And so he learned quickly as he grew that there was no one else he could rely on. He learned that he had to take care of himself, because no one else was going to bother. He became cruel and selfish as a means of self preservation.

His story up until this point was not a particularly remarkable or unique one. The cities that pretended to be so perfect and beautiful housed many children who grew up forgotten and alone.

But then something happened that changed his whole life.

For reasons that he did not understand, he was chosen by the elven council to become a prince. He would learn to govern a nation and eventually take over for the current king and queen. He was brought to a castle and taught rules and manners and politics from a kind but strict gnome. And he reached adulthood in a warm home with a full belly and servants who tended to him.

The prince was smart and very clever, and he studied to become a powerful wizard. The people in the city outside his castle liked him well enough. He still held onto that old self-reliance, though, and soon he began to believe he had earned his place in the castle. He believed that his luck was true enough, and that he deserved to be the prince, or so the story goes.

When he began to believe that, his old selfishness and arrogance reared their ugly heads. It was like an illness had come over him. He began to use his power and resources for his own benefit rather than that of the people he governed.

A great sorceress often visited the prince, arriving on a magical boat that floated on the silver light of the moon. She looked at the way that the prince squandered his resources, and it made her sad to see the way he had changed. Since she used to be the castle wizard, she wondered if perhaps there was something she should have done differently.

She tried to help the prince. She made him promises to bring him what he wanted, but her words fell on deaf ears. And so she set out on her own to fix things.

She did not succeed.

The prince became cruel and vain, lashing out at his servants and ignoring the people he governed. When the summer crops did not grow as planned and food became scarce in the city, the prince ignored the cries of his hungry people, for his own food stores were full.

When the sorceress returned, she found the people in the city wailing for lack of food, and she was appalled. So she went to the castle and met with the prince.

“Prince, oh prince, your people starve in the streets!” she told him. “Why won’t you help them?”

At first, the prince ignored her protest, until she led him to the gates where he could see the starving people. He remembered his childhood, when he never had enough food to fill his belly, and he was moved to help. He opened his food stores to the public. He even decided, since he was a very good cook himself, that he would bake a meal for anyone who came to the palace.

Forty people came to the prince’s banquet. And the prince made a meal, as he promised. But in his arrogance and pride, he made a terrible mistake. All of the forty people who ate his meal became deathly ill, and all forty of them were dead by nightfall. The prince had not eaten the meal with them, even though they had invited him to the table, and many believed he had done this intentionally. But even if it had been a mistake, it was his carelessness that had taken their lives.

The people were angry and called for the prince to be cast out. They stormed the gates of the castle, wanting revenge and justice for those they had lost. Even the servants abandoned the prince, leaving only a small handful that remained loyal to him.

And the prince hid himself away in his palace, away from the villagers who wanted him gone and from the servants who defended him. He turned his remorse and fear outward, at his servants, because he couldn’t bear to keep it all inside.

The sorceress returned then and saw what had befallen the prince. She saw the angry town folk and the abused servants, and she saw the horrified prince, afraid to cook for anyone ever again.

“Prince, oh prince, what terrible things have befallen this place!” she said. “I can shield you from their rage, but only as long as I stay. Perhaps if you open your coffers to those who lost someone, they will back down and move on.”

At first, the prince balked at the idea. But he soon realized that, should the town break into the castle and kill him, he would have no use for his money anyway. So he did what the sorceress asked, and the people who had lost so much took the coin and used it to move away from the town.

Now the town was empty and the castle was quiet, for only a few remained in it. And the prince remembered the prophecies of his childhood, the ones that stated he would become a monster and be forgotten. And he thought, ‘I have killed so many people with my carelessness, and now all my people have moved on and forgotten me. The prophecies were true.’ And he only sank deeper into his despair.

Over time, his grief became bitterness and his bitterness became anger. When the sorceress came back yet again, he lashed out at her cruelly, blaming her for all of his misfortune.

“See what you have done?” he shouted at her. “My town has no people! My castle has no servants! You have drained my food stores and my coffers, and I have been forgotten by those who once loved me! Why have you done this?”

“This is not my doing, prince,” she told him. “Perhaps if you had not been so selfish and hoarded all the food for yourself, there would never have been a food shortage. Perhaps if you had not been so arrogant, forty people would not be dead at your hand.”

The prince was filled with rage at her words. He was a great wizard in his own right, and he moved to attack her. But as he went to cast the first spell, the sorceress cursed him, and pink crystal sprang up from the ground where he stood. It spread all the way through the tower they were fighting within, but the sorceress escaped before it could touch her.

The prince was forced to use his most powerful transmutation magic to escape the crystal prison. But when he did, he found that he himself was transformed too. The sorceress’ curse, surely, had shaped him into a monster within his chrysalis of pink tourmaline. Now he was a hideous beast with long, deadly claws and sharp teeth. Even the servants who had remained loyal to him were afraid and could not speak to him.

Although he searched and searched, he could find no magic to reverse his transformation. So when the sorceress returned, he begged her to change him back.

The sorceress merely shook her head. “I cannot break the curse,” she told him. “The only way to break it is for you to find true love.”

But the prince was enraged by this. He cursed at her and forbade her from returning to the palace. And in private, he wept, for he had once been very beautiful. He holed himself up in his tower in the castle and lashed out at his faithful servants more than ever. He resigned himself to his fate and fell deep into despair. Those who might have once loved him had forgotten him now, and all he had left were his servants who were afraid of him.

True love, as far as he was concerned, was a myth. It was a riddle, no doubt, that the sorceress had made to confuse him and distract him from the truth: that there was no way to break the curse.

And so the monster prince languished away in his castle while it fell apart around him. He took all that grief and despair and anger and bitterness, and he kept it all inside him until it turned his blood to poison and dripped down out of his claws.

How bitterly ironic, the monster thought. Now he could not even touch anyone for fear of accidentally nicking them with a claw! Now the poison that had killed so many of his people course through his veins! True love? What a joke! How could anyone ever love this?

So the monster prince despaired alone in his tower forever...or so the story goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise early chapter! It's real short, so I decided to post two chapters this week. The next chapter will go up on Friday as usual. Kudos and comments warm my soul. Enjoy!
> 
> As always, you can find me elsewhere on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). Thanks!


	6. A Monster's Regret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the bard out of commission, the prince is left to reflect on what has happened and what he can do to make sure it never, ever happens again.
> 
> Join Taako as he plays favorites, misuses a hedge clippers, and spends the entire chapter pouting, like a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it, there was another update earlier this week for an interlude, so make sure you read that before you read this chapter.
> 
>  **Content warning:** There is some description of physical trauma near the beginning of this chapter. It's not detailed or anything, but it was enough to make uncomfortable both while writing it and then again editing it, so...heads up!

Taako didn’t often enter the servants’ quarters. The rooms were not suited to his gangly body, and the narrow corridors struck him with a knot of claustrophobia. There was always the fear of accidentally brushing by someone. He didn’t know how potent the poison that flowed through him was, but he didn’t dare touch another person for fear of scratching them.

But that was exactly why he was here now, pacing back and forth outside of Kravitz’ room while Merle worked tirelessly to cleanse him. The others avoided him, maybe afraid of his claws, maybe afraid of his temper. It didn’t matter why.

When he had first discovered the secret of the venom in his claws, it had been another gash similar to what he had done to Kravitz. The wound had been worse – Hurley had been trying to help him get used to his new form by sparring with him, and he had accidentally cut her across the back. But she had gotten to the cleric much faster, before the poison could spread. Merle had recognized what had happened and was able to stop the poison before it could do much damage.

He had wanted to study the poison, see how potent it was and even maybe make an antidote, but Taako couldn’t bring himself to let that happen. If nothing else, the incident had made everyone that much more wary of being around him. No problem there.

Everyone else knew he was a murderer. Everyone else knew what he was capable of.

But of course Kravitz hadn’t. He hadn’t known that Taako’s cooking had killed forty people ten years ago, so he had no reason to not want to try the cookies. Taako was an idiot for not realizing what that meant.

There was movement from within the room. It had been hours since the inciting event, and it was well into the day following. Taako’s ears twitched forward, listening to a pair of footsteps approach the door. He backed away from the door to give Merle plenty of room to open it and leaned against the wall.

Merle opened the door and blinked up at him as if surprised to see him. “Heya, boss,” he said. “You can, uh, go in and see him if you want, I guess?”

“I don’t want to see him,” Taako snapped. “Is he okay?”

“No. But he will be.” Merle shrugged one shoulder. “Took a while to neutralize the venom, but it’s gone now. Just a matter of fixing up what it did to him before I could. You sure you don’t want me to see if I can’t whip up an antidote?”

Taako stared at him. Making an antidote would require handling the poison, and Merle was their only healer. “Yeah, I’m pretty fucking sure, my dude.”

Merle shrugged. “And when are you gonna let me tend to all those bites you got taken out of you?”

“I’m not.”

“Figured. Well, I gotta try, being your physician and all."

“Keep me updated on his condition,” Taako said shortly. He turned on his heel and slunk out of the servants’ quarters.

He gained a shadow as he stalked through the castle, but that was not unexpected. Davenport was as attentive as ever, though much changed from the perpetually exasperated but goodhearted mentor who had raised Taako. Taako used to wonder if it was the fact that he had failed so spectacularly as a prince that had changed Davenport so much, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He had enough to worry about.

“Did you find what I asked for?” he asked as they headed for his study.

“Yes,” Davenport said.

“Good man.”

Once they had arrived, Taako stopped Davenport outside the door. He looked at the items gathered – a basin, a bucket of water, some bandages and medical supplies, a small set of gardening sheers, and a large metal file. Everything he had requested.

“I’m going in alone for a while. You’re not to enter until I tell you to,” Taako told him. “Actually, you know what? Why don’t you just take a nice, long walk around the castle? Do whatever you want. Come back in two hours.”

Davenport hesitated, shifting from foot to foot.

“What? I’m giving you time off. What do you like to do?”

He brushed his mustache thoughtfully. “Tend to the prince.”

Taako rolled his eyes. “No, that’s your _job_.”

“Davenport’s job.”

“Yeah, and right now, I’m giving you the afternoon off.” Getting Davenport to take some downtime was like pulling teeth sometimes. “I got an idea. Why don’t you go help Merle? He’s got a patient right now.”

Davenport didn’t look very happy about it, but he nodded.

“The prince will be safe?”

“Sure thing, Cap,” Taako said easily. “Don’t you worry about ol’ Taako. Just got some shit to do, that’s all. Shit I’d rather do alone, you know?”

“Davenport will...help Merle.”

“Atta boy.”

Taako waited until Davenport disappeared around the corner before taking the aforementioned items and heading into his study. Once inside, he locked the door securely and glanced around the balcony outside to make sure Magnus wasn’t working on a nearby roof or something.

Once he was sure he was alone, he settled on the floor in front of the fireplace and began unwrapping various bandages on his arms and legs. Merle meant well, obviously, but Taako couldn’t risk poisoning him with his various bodily fluids. He still didn’t know exactly how he was _creating_ the venom, and he wasn’t going to risk someone dying from accidentally coming into contact with his blood.

The bites weren’t too bad. His hide was thick and protective, and he healed quickly. He wasn’t worried about those. They were easy enough to disinfect and rewrap, although it was a little awkward to get the ones on his arms.

He thought about Merle’s suggestion again, about an antidote for his venom. It was tempting. Having an antidote on hand would alleviate the constant worries about poisoning someone. On the other hand, this wasn’t normally a problem. He had Davenport do anything that required human interaction, and he used magic for things Davenport could not do. Nobody had to touch him. He wasn’t even normally this paranoid about things, but, well, he _had_ just accidentally almost killed someone.

And how stupid _that_ was? In his panic over seeing someone eating his cooking, he had nearly killed Kravitz in a different but much more definite way.

Idiot.

He just needed to be more careful. And not panic about things. He really needed to stop cooking altogether. He _liked_ doing it; it calmed his nerves. But food wasn’t exactly plentiful. He couldn’t transmute food out of non-food items, at least not sustainably. Eating meat transmuted from stone tasted fine, but it had no nutritional value. And he didn’t let anyone else actually _eat_ his cooking. It was nothing but a waste.

It was pretty clear to him that, although there had only been two claw incidents in the past decade, he wasn’t really very good at being careful. That was two too many.

Well, what he was about to do would minimize the risk anyway. At least for the time being.

He positioned the empty basin between his knees and held out his right claw over it. The claws were sort of a combination of a typical elven fingernail and a springy cat claw. The base was as wide as his fingernails were before the transformation, but they were much thicker. They extended from his fingers in a wicked two inch long curve before coming to a tapered point. Like elven fingernails, they were not at all retractable and mostly served to make his day to day activities that much more of a pain in the ass.

And also to poison his staff after a moment of carelessness.

He did try to keep them trimmed. But for some ungodly reason, there was a nerve running through the base of each claw, keeping him from trimming them too short. When they just grew back in the matter of a week or two, just as sharp and as shitty as ever, it almost didn’t seem worth it.

But that was stupid. A man had nearly died from his claws just last night, and he would be suffering the effects of the poison for who knew how long.

Taako positioned the hedge clippers in his left hand, the blades poised to clip off a good three quarters of the claw, leaving behind a much larger and less sharp stub instead. It would also cut straight into that awful nerve.

He stared down at his hand. He ran his tongue over his too sharp teeth in anticipation. There was no reason to hesitate. He thought about Kravitz’ pallid form slumped by that tree. He thought about Magnus wrapping Kravitz in his cloak and carrying him back to the castle. That could never happen again.

He squeezed the handle of the shears.

The pain was instantly blinding, every bit as awful as he had anticipated. It hurt so badly that he almost thought he had clipped off the end of his finger on accident. The claw dropped down into the basin, and then the slow drips of black-red blood followed. It was a miracle he hadn’t screamed.

He went on to the second finger without preamble. The sooner he did it, the sooner it would be over.

However, in spite of his desire to get it done with, it still took him the better part of an hour before all ten claws were clipped down to an appropriately short length. His sole reprieve was that his thumb claws didn’t get as long. He could probably get away with just clipping the tips of those.

Once they stopped bleeding, he got out the large metal file. It was one from Magnus’ workshop, he presumed. As big as it was, it was probably designed for some sort of carpentry work. Too bad for Magnus; this was his now.

Filing his nails down into blunt nubs wasn’t as bad as cutting them in the first place, but the raw ache increased tenfold for the duration and didn’t ease after he finished. That also took much longer to do; his fingers ached too much to do it constantly, and he had to take frequent breaks. Davenport had returned to the door before he had finished filing the last nail. He bade Davenport to come back in twenty more minutes and hurried to finish.

After he was done, he just sat still for a few minutes, letting the horrible ache die down a little. Then he washed his hands in the bucket of water and dunked the hedge clippers and file in as well, as they had some of his blood on it.

He had two options here. He could take the claws and the spilled blood and give the entire basin to Merle, thus risking him getting poisoned from it and dying, but with the possibility of Merle being able to create an antidote.

Or he could give into his fear and toss the entire thing out.

He doubted his ability to keep his claws trimmed like this for long. Within a month or so, they’d be back to the long, hideously sharp hooks they had been before. It had been quite an ordeal to get them this short. It was easier now with the weight of what he had done instinctively yesterday. But he wasn’t sure he’d be able to convince himself to do it again next month.

If they had some antidote on hand, he wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not Merle had any spell slots or if he was too far away or if he himself was the one who got poisoned.

But if Merle got sick while working on the antidote…

Taako sighed. He was going around in circles on this one.

He washed his hands again and then called for Davenport to bring him a towel and a large bag. His fingers had stopped bleeding, so he dried his hands on the towel and then used that to wrap up the basin with his claw clippings in it. Then he very carefully put the towel into the bag.

“Do not touch anything inside the bag for any reason. If it spills, you come get me, you don’t touch _anything_ ,” Taako told him. “But you won’t spill it. Good. Okay, you need to bring this to Merle for me.”

Davenport nodded, but he was staring at Taako’s hands.

Taako sighed. “Don’t worry about it. Now I won’t hurt anyone anymore,” he said.

Davenport reached out a hand toward Taako’s, but Taako pulled back away quickly. “Ah – no touchie. You know that.”

“You’ve never hurt Davenport.”

“Yeah, bud,” Taako said, sighing. “I mean, I’m pretty sure I have? But – I don’t want to hurt you either. Got it? We just have to be careful.”

“Careful.” He nodded. “Davenport will be careful.”

“See? This is why you’re my favorite,” Taako told him. “Come on, bubbeleh. We gotta go have a chat with Merle.”

* * *

Taako did not want to go back into the close quarters that made up the servants’ area of the castle, not with what had happened. He also had no real desire to be anywhere near Kravitz, even though, as far as he knew, Kravitz was still unconscious. He assumed he had seen the last of the wayward bard. Kravitz would most certainly want to get as far away from Taako as possible, once he was able to.

So instead, he had Davenport bring Merle out to the royal dining room. Davenport handed the bag to Merle while Merle raised his eyebrows at the state of Taako’s hands. Taako used one of his newly trimmed claws to give Merle the bird.

“If you can use it to make an antidote, then be my guest,” he said. “But if you touch that shit and Magnus has to cut off your _other_ arm, that’s entirely on you. Capiche?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s my problem, blah blah, whatever,” Merle said. “Don’t worry so much. I’ll use _this_ hand.” He lifted up his soul wood arm and wiggled the fingers. “This one pops off, no worries.”

There were problems with that, of course. Soul wood was hard to come by, and they would have to enchant a whole new arm for him on the off chance they could actually get some. Merle’s dexterity was also lower with that hand. But it wouldn’t kill him if he got that arm poisoned, so it was better than nothing.

“Fine. Just – be careful, old man.” Taako frowned at him. “It’d be annoying if I had to have Sloane tend the garden on her own.”

Merle chuckled. “Well, she _is_ a natural. But, sure. I got it. The plants like me best.”

“Gross.”

“Hey, Dav, you think you could help me out with some of this stuff?” Merle asked.

Davenport looked at Taako. Merle and Davenport had history beyond what Taako remembered, which was pretty impressive, and it was clear that they still enjoyed each other’s companionship. Whatever that entailed. Taako didn’t ask questions.

“Go for it, dude. My plans for the evening are ‘prowl around the castle and yell at anyone who talks to me,’” he said. “You know, typical monster shit. Maybe I’ll kidnap a princess.”

“You got a nice bard in the infirmary,” Merle said.

Taako gave him a pained look.

“Anyway, bye, go have fun getting poisoned or whatever,” he continued. “Don’t poison Davenport or I’ll eat you.”

“Kinky,” said Merle.

“Good _bye_.”

Taako stalked off before Merle could continue being gross and weird.

He really didn’t have anything on his agenda for the evening. With so few servants in the castle, he did wind up helping out with some things. There was plenty he wouldn’t do – like cooking, for instance – and some he couldn’t with such unseemly claws. And sometimes, he just didn’t feel like doing shit. He was still a prince, maybe, or at least, everyone still here listened to him.

Today fell into the latter category. His claws still ached, and he felt rotten about what had happened to Kravitz. Sitting around feeling sorry for himself was appealing, but he was filled with a pervasive restlessness and wasn’t in the mood for sitting still.

So instead, he crept along the open corridors, pushing his way into rooms that hadn’t been used in ten odd years and trying to remember what they looked like in peak condition. He wouldn’t run into a lot of the servants doing this, which was kind of the point. He didn’t really want to see anyone right then.

It rather caught him by surprise, then, when he saw Julia heading around the corner, carrying a basket filled with linens. The corridor they were in was wide enough that he was easily able to slink to the far side, giving her a wide berth to pass without coming too near him. She didn’t say anything or make eye contact with him. He wasn’t sure if she was putting on proper servant behavior by the gesture or if she was just scared of him.

It annoyed him. It shouldn’t have. She had every right to be afraid of him, after all. But right now, he couldn’t deal with the way her eyes studied the carpet or the way her fingers tightened their grip on the edges of the laundry basket.

He paused in his gait. “Those dirty?” he asked, nodding at her basket.

She slowed to a halt with some reluctance. “Yes. I was helping Sloane with the washing.”

“Good. I got some more for you to take care of. Come with me.”

He led her toward the eastern tower where his room was situated. They weren’t anywhere near it, and the silence stretched out between them as they walked. Julia was normally a happy and talkative woman, even with Taako, and her unease was discomfiting.

But the silence gave him a perverse sense of satisfaction, somehow. Maybe the last of these idiots would finally leave this accursed castle, and he’d be left to languish alone.

It didn’t last. They were barely halfway there when she broke the silence.

“Are you all right?”

He glanced over his shoulder, surprised by the worried slope of her eyebrows. “What?”

“Oh, Magnus just said those wolves really did a number on you before you chased them off,” she explained. “I haven’t seen them this aggressive in a while. I wonder if they’re having trouble finding enough food or if it’s a sign of a rough winter.”

He had come to a full stop now, eyeing her carefully. She seemed genuinely concerned, and her gaze lingered on the bandages visible on his arms and neck.

“What the fuck are you going on about?” he snarled. “Of course I’m fine.”

“Then you’re wearing those bandages for show?”

“Look. Jules. Knock it off with the fake concern, got it? I quite frankly cannot stomach any of this bullshit today.”

She sighed, a noise somewhere between annoyance and resignation. “Really? I’m not allowed to be worried about you anymore?”

“You’re all bestest bros with Kravitz now, aren’t you?” he snapped. “Shouldn’t you be worried about _him?_ He’s the one who nearly got offed.”

“I’m allowed to care about two people at once, Taako,” she said sternly. “Stop acting like a child.”

Taako reared back a little, squaring his shoulders and lifting himself up further off the ground to try and intimidate her. “I’m not acting like a fucking _kid_ ,” he growled. “I’m just wondering what the hell happened to your sense of priorities. I nearly _killed_ a guy yesterday, a-and you’re over here acting like I’m Taako the Great and Benevolent for swatting off some ornery dogs!”

She glanced away for a moment. “Well, I’m quite sure no one has ever accused you of benevolence, but – well, Merle said Kravitz is going to be okay. But even if he wasn’t...Taako, Magnus and I have worked for you for fifteen years. I think I know you well enough to know you deserve the benefit of the doubt.”

“Or you have terminal brain rot,” he spat. “How many times does this have to happen before you people get it through your thick skulls that I’m _dangerous?!_ ”

Julia put down the laundry basket and crossed her arms. “We all know you’re dangerous,” she said, though not unkindly. “But it’s been nine years since Hurley got hurt, and you’ve never done anything out of maliciousness. Besides, you cut your claws.”

He stared down at the blunted nails at the ends of his fingers, at the swollen cuticles beneath.

“Look, honey. Maybe we should have been clearer with Kravitz, or, I don’t know. But I know you didn’t mean it. We all know that.”

He scratched at one of the bandages on his arm, turning his gaze to stare at a dirty spot on the window. “Does it really matter if it was intentional?” he asked. “If he _had_ died, then what? Would you still be patting my metaphorical shoulder and coddling me?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I still don’t even know what happened.”

“I made cookies,” he said flatly. “He tried to eat one.”

It sounded so stupid out loud. Even with his history with cooking, it was stupid. He hadn’t used magic to bake the cookies, not even to transmute the chocolate. He had even been careful not to directly touch the ingredients with his claws. The chances of anything being wrong with the cookies were slim, while the potency of his claws had been proven already. And still, he had been more concerned with the cookies than the claws, like some sort of fabulous idiot.

He didn’t have to explain further, though. She let out a slow breath. “It wasn’t your fault,” she said, looking up at him.

“No?” He laughed sourly. “I guess we should blame Kravitz, then, since he didn’t know any better?”

“Sometimes bad things happen that aren’t anybody’s fault, no matter how badly you want to take the blame for them,” she said quietly. He had the idea she wasn’t just talking to him. “Even if you think you deserve it, or if it helps you make sense of it, or...sweetie, a shitty thing happened. I know how you feel.”

He turned his head sharply, eyes narrowing. “Fuck off,” he hissed, suddenly unreasonably angry. “You don’t get to use me for your shitty redemption arc. You have _no idea_ how I feel.”

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

“Isn’t it?” he retorted. “You telling me you and Maggie aren’t here, donating your time to work off your own guilty consciences? That you’re sticking around because you genuinely enjoy sharing company with me? There’s nothing else to this, huh?”

She didn’t reply, her mouth set in a thin line and her expression pinched.

“Forget about the laundry. I’ll have someone else do it,” he snapped, and then stalked off to go brood in peace.

“Taako!”

He whirled on her, baring his teeth in a snarl.

“...your highness,” she corrected with, to her credit, only a hint of aggravation. “You might at least _tell_ him. About your claws, and...about the banquet. He deserves to know why you reacted the way you did.”

When he spoke again, his voice was as venomous as his claws. “Cool. Sure. I’ll _absolutely_ keep that in mind.”

* * *

The prince’s chambers were spacious, taking up the entire top floor below the upper balcony. The floor was split up into three areas: the main bedroom with a generally open floor plan, a bathroom and dressing area, and a small maintenance area where the furnace was kept.

Back before all of this had happened, Taako’s room was a beautiful mess, with an exquisite canopy bed draped with sheer vibrant red fabric, even though elves didn’t strictly require sleep. The pillows and sheets were made from satin and lace in various shades of purples and reds. There was also a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor, making up his meditation area. He had a vanity with a huge mirror, which had ended up strewn with clothing every morning and was cleaned up by the staff during the day. The closet area was bigger than the bedroom he had had as a child. The floor was covered by a thick layer of plush carpet, and the massive windows overlooking the forest were lined with heavy velvet curtains.

The dressing area boasted a huge bathtub with running hot water, full length mirrors covering an entire wall, and a magically warmed tile floor. Everything was decorated with gaudy golden embellishments, over the top in a way that he enjoyed. From the golden faucet on the sink to the towel bars to the very seat of the toilet, no silly gold filigree was too ostentatious for his taste.

That was all in the past, of course.

There was no one, now, to come upstairs and clean his room for him. Barely any of clothes existed in the closet anymore. Most of his old things had been cannibalized to make clothing to fit his new form, although he was pretty sure there were still a few old outfits around. Most of his outfits lay strewn in large piles on the vanity and the bed and the floor with little distinction between the dirty and the clean.

The canopy on the bed had been torn down in a fit of rage. The curtains, now faded from the sunlight, were constantly drawn so he wouldn’t look out over his empty, desolate town. The beautiful mirrors in the bathroom and on the vanity were all shattered so he didn’t have to look at his hideous face anymore. Everything in the bathroom area was covered with a layer of filth, due to how rarely he bothered to clean it himself.

The only thing that remained relatively intact was his meditation nest. He hadn’t been able to properly meditate since the poisoning incident, be it due to stress or, eventually, his new monstrous form. The meditation nest, though, was comfortable enough for him to curl up within and sleep. It used to bother him to just curl up like a dog, but by this point, he couldn’t bring himself to give a damn.

He had stayed up the entire night before, pacing around the castle and prowling around the servants’ quarters so he could get first word of Kravitz’ condition. It was already getting dark outside now when he peeked out through the curtains. He hadn’t eaten all day, but he had lost his appetite. He should probably just eat those goddamn cookies and get them gone.

But first, he was going to sleep. He stripped off his clothing and added them to the pile of maybe-dirty clothes near the door. Then he wrapped himself in a blanket like a cocoon, wincing at the tenderness still present in his claws, and curled up on his pillow pile.

Julia was wrong. He wasn’t entitled to tell Kravitz a thing. What had happened had happened, and no amount of explaining was going to change Kravitz’ opinion on him. Kravitz already didn’t like him – which was _fine_ – and this was just going to put the final nails in the coffin. He might as well leave the castle forever now rather than later, so far as Taako was concerned.

Maybe he would even tell people about the gloomy, broken down castle of Glamour Springs, and Taako’s curse of being forgotten would be lifted.

Taako wasn’t sure if it was worse to be forgotten or to be remembered for something like _this_.

Kravitz’ personal opinion didn’t impact Taako in any way, of course; he was just some unlucky bastard who had wound up in the wrong castle. Everybody left in the end, and Taako was fine with him leaving. The extra help had been nice, but whatever. They had managed for ten years, and they would keep managing until everyone else finally gave up on him, and he was left to languish away on his own, as he was no doubt meant to.

Who knew how long it would be before Kravitz even woke up? Maybe he wouldn’t recover all the way and stay unconscious forever. Taako probably didn’t even have to worry about it for at least another week or two.

No problem. He could sort himself by then. He curled up more tightly in his blankets and closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally got some Taako POV! Am I characterizing him right? Probably not! But you can expect the narrative to shift around between the two of them a little bit from here on out.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed your "extra" chapter this week. The interludes seem too short to really post by themselves, but they also reveal a lot of information, so there may come a time where I only post an interlude in one week...or space them out somehow, I don't know. I'll figure that out later, I guess!
> 
> As always, you can find me elsewhere on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). I love chatting with you guys!


	7. What Fades Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bard has lived through the worst of his injuries and is slowly recovering. However, now that he's on the mend, it's time for the prince to come have a talk with him. Talking might be slightly less boring than the drab books he has access too and less disturbing than Merle's interpretive jazz routine, but it's not exactly the bard's preferred distraction.
> 
> Join Kravitz as he gets a name drop, hears a story, and decides to write a fairy tale, all while never leaving his bed.

There were very few places in Faerun as dramatically beautiful as the Diamond Stallion Casino in fair Goldcliffe. The floors were covered in a lush wine colored carpet embellished in elegant golden spirals. The walls were lined with intricately carved ivory pillars stretching up into archways that spanned the entire ceiling. Sparkling chandeliers hung from the ceiling, all done up with magical candles that glowed with gold-white light. If it had been anything other than a casino, it would have been gaudy and overdone. But it was absolutely perfect for what it was.

Kravitz felt a smile touch his lips as he straightened his cravat and brushed off the front of his suit jacket. There was always such a rush of adrenaline upon entering a good casino. There was something mesmerizing about the lights and sound from the slot machines, the sound of chips clinking together from the poker tables, and the spin of the roulette wheel – his personal favorite.

He felt like a million gold, standing in a place like this. True, he was here on a job, first and foremost, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun. It was part of the job to look the part, after all. You had to play a few rounds of blackjack or no one would believe you were really a patron of the casino. His contact was here, and he didn’t need to be thrown out for not spending enough money. Then he would be back at square one.

The roulette wheel was calling to him. The Raven Queen wouldn’t mind at all if he won back a little extra cash. Sure, it had sometimes been hard to quit the wheel once he got started, but he was older and more mature now. A few spins never hurt anybody.

But first, a drink. His throat was completely parched, now that he was thinking about it. Good thing the Diamond Stallion offered a fantastic full bar. He made his way over, choosing an empty spot at the bar and signaling the barkeeper.

Ren turned around to face him. “Hiya, Kravitz,” she said cheerfully. “What’ll it be?”

“Just a glass of water, if you don’t mind,” he said.

“Sorry, we just ran out. Taako drank it all with dinner.”

“All of it? You ran out of _water?_ ” he asked, bewildered. “What will the rest of us drink? Ren, please, just give me anything. I’m so thirsty.”

“I’ll see what I can find. Why don’t you try some of the games while you wait? The roulette wheel is hot tonight.”

Kravitz turned around to find a giant roulette wheel stationed only a few feet away. It was similar to the roulette wheels he had played on before, made from a beautiful, polished wood with gold edges and red and black slots to bet on. But instead of numbers, the slots had symbols on them – the red ones had a droplet and the black ones skulls.

“You wanna bet something?” the attendant at the wheel asked.

His voice sent a shiver down Kravitz’ spine. He looked up, and sure enough, standing next to the wheel in a fancy purple and gold suit, stood the hideous form of Taako. He had one hand behind his back, but the other was gesturing toward the wheel, his grotesque claws dripping with blood. He smiled widely, his sharp teeth starkly white against his inky black fur.

The blood on his claw was dripping down onto the roulette wheel. It landed on a red section, covering the symbol of the droplet.

“Place your bets now. What’ll it be, Krav? Blood? Or death?”

Kravitz realized suddenly that his arm ached. Looking at the wheel made him feel dizzy, but he didn’t want to look at Taako either.

“I don’t want to play,” he groaned. “I just want something to drink.”

“Blood, then,” Taako said, his grin widening to impossible proportions. He spun the wheel.

Kravitz opened his eyes.

The fancy decorations of the Diamond Stallion Casino were gone. Instead, the ceiling was standard wood beams stretching from wall to wall. He was lying in a bed, blankets pulled up to his chest, and a fire was crackling in the hearth near him. It was his room at the castle, he realized belatedly.

His arm still hurt, and he was achingly thirsty. He tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea and dizziness sent him back down.

He could hear voices outside the door.

“...think he was still asleep, but he was asking for water,” came Ren’s voice.

The door opened and Merle stepped inside. “Then get him some water. I’ve barely been able to get any in him,” he said. He turned and saw Kravitz watching him. “Oh, hi.”

“Hi,” Kravitz said. His throat ached.

“Don’t gotta say anything else, kid. Ren’s bringing water,” Merle stated, ambling over to the side of the bed. He reached over and took Kravitz’ uninjured arm in his wooden arm and took Kravitz’ pulse with the other.

Kravitz hadn’t even known Merle was a healer, but he supposed somebody had to be one. Nobody had died since the prince had been cursed, as far as he knew.

Ren brought him some water, and Merle helped sit him up long enough for him to sip at it. He was unbearably thirsty, but Merle only let him drink a little at a time. Still, even one single cup of water felt worlds better on his mouth and throat.

“Why do I feel so shitty?” he asked, now that his throat no longer felt like someone was rubbing sandpaper on it.

“You’re lucky to be alive, after running off like that,” Merle replied. “You got poisoned and then nearly eaten by wolves. Again. You’ve been out for like three days now.”

Kravitz vaguely remembered an argument with Taako. He didn’t remember poison, and he certainly didn’t remember wolves. He blinked at Merle. “Wolves?”

“And poison, yeah. The poison came closer to gettin’ ya. It was a very exciting day.”

“How’d I get poisoned?”

Merle and Ren glanced at one another.

“Taako’s claws are venomous,” Ren finally said. “When he accidentally cut your arm, you got poisoned. Merle would have healed it right away, but then you ran off.”

Kravitz closed his eyes, trying to remember what had happened. He remembered Taako hissing at him, remembered the sharp pain in his arm and the burning feeling as he spilled his tea down his front. He remembered being terrified of the monster in a way unlike he ever had been. He had been certain the monster was going to kill him in that moment.

“He attacked me,” he said quietly. He rubbed at the bandage on his arm absently.

“He didn’t mean – ”

“He _did_ ,” he insisted, cutting Ren off. “You weren’t there. He was angry.”

“Yeah, well,” Merle said, his voice getting more distant. “He also saved your sorry ass from a wolf pack, so don’t get too uppity.”

Kravitz opened his eyes, frowning. Merle was by the fireplace now, and Ren was standing near the door, arms folded over her stomach and frowning. “He what?”

“You ran into the woods. He and Magnus followed you out,” Merle explained. “You got a way with those wolf packs out there, I guess. But you made it pretty far, considering. Taako chased off the wolves. Took a bunch of nasty hits too.” He shrugged. “It don’t make a _lot_ of sense to do that if he wanted you dead.”

His words made no sense. Kravitz’ memories were still a little fuzzy, but he did remember being certain that the monster would have killed him if he had stayed.

“Anyway,” Merle went on, “he says you can leave when you’re feeling up to it. I’d stick around a week or two if I were you. Maybe you can go with Maggie next time he goes to the city for something. That way, he can protect you from your wolf buddies.”

That also didn’t make a lot of sense. Kravitz was too exhausted and sore to try much harder to figure it out, though.

He sighed a little. He couldn’t deal with this right now. Everything hurt, and that dream was still weighing on his mind. He wanted to go back to sleep, but first...

“Can I have some more water?”

He did not hear Ren whisper to Merle as she filled up the water glass again, “What happened to his accent?”

* * *

Kravitz’ condition improved fairly steadily. The second day, he was sitting up in bed and eating soup, and on day three, he was upgraded to solid foods. He was allowed to walk short distances around his room by the end of the week, but he was often too tired to get much further.

At first, he slept most of the time. But the more he improved, the more he realized that sitting alone in a room, confined to his bed, was boring as hell. Killian brought him some books to read, and Magnus and Julia took turns telling stories about the little town they had lived in before coming into the prince’s service. Merle once (and only once, thankfully) performed his “famous” interpretive dance for Kravitz. Ren kept him up to date on the castle gossip whenever she brought him something to eat. Julia spent some time tightening his dreadlocks for him.

That didn’t mean there wasn’t a good deal of time when no one was available to entertain him. Reading books was okay, but it got a bit old after a while. He had never been much of a reader, when it came down to it.

But Merle said he was doing well, and Magnus was due to head into the city in a few weeks. Kravitz was off the hook, at least in terms of staying in this awful castle. How safe it would be for him to travel alone, even if he was just going home, in his weakened state was another question entirely. Ideally, he would be able to stay another month or two, maybe even until winter was over. But he couldn’t help the niggling of anxiety he felt, knowing that the prince and his deadly, venomous claws were lurking somewhere nearby.

Everyone assured him that Taako hadn’t meant to hurt him. He could understand where they were coming from, but it didn’t sit quite right with him. The prince may have chased him out into the woods and saved him from the encroaching wolf pack that had apparently taken a liking to him, but there was no denying how angry he had gotten about Kravitz just trying to eat a goddamn cookie. Even if it had been an accident, he didn’t want to be near the prince.

Hurley had come to talk to him about it, once. She was the only other one in the palace who had ever been poisoned. She told him about the sparing match she had had with Taako, and how that was before they even knew he had venom in his claws. Taako had been extremely careful ever since, and he had never hurt anyone else.

“Aren’t you... _afraid_ of him?” Kravitz had asked her, incredulously.

“I was, for a while,” Hurley said. “Everyone was. But I think he was the most afraid. He refused to leave his tower for a week after that, until Magnus finally coaxed him out. He’s been so careful ever since then. I don’t know what changed, exactly, but...I _know_ he didn’t mean it.”

That was all well and good, but Kravitz didn’t understand how it was supposed to make him feel any better. He still didn’t know what he had done to provoke such a reaction out of the prince.

The dull days passed slowly, and the stack of books rescued for him out of the palace library was slowly transferred to the ‘finished reading’ stack. After around ten days of dire boredom, he had only two books left. He had to lean down over the side of the bed to reach the stack, and in doing so, he clumsily knocked the top book further under the bed. Cursing to himself, he leaned further over the side of the bed, one hand on the floor to keep him from toppling out entirely, and peeked down under the bed.

The book hadn’t slid too far, catching on the edge of the loose floorboard he had noticed earlier. He frowned as he pulled the book out. The floorboard wasn’t too far under the bed, and it was just at a perfect angle that it almost seemed intentional. Like it was a little secret someone had made there on purpose. He reached down and was attempting to pry up the board when the door open. He glanced up immediately, glad for any kind of distraction, even after being caught in an awkward position.

The prince’s face peeked through the crack in the door. He immediately realized he had been rash. He could do without _this_ particular distraction.

“Hi,” Taako said, awkwardly. “Um...what are you doing?”

Kravitz sat back up quickly. He attempted to keep a blank expression on his face, but his heart was pounding a little harder in his chest and his palms felt clammy.

“I dropped my book,” he said flatly, trying not to betray his sudden anxiety.

The door opened further, and the prince stepped in full, closing the door behind him. The monster tended to wear dark, dramatic colors that highlighted his more inhuman features, complete with swirling capes and gaudy golden jewelry. But today, he was in something much simpler and less intimidating. His shirt was a plain ivory color with laces up the chest, and his pants were a soft blue. He had a green and blue patterned sash around his waist. It was a much tamer look than the one he normally sported. It didn’t do much to make Kravitz feel better.

“I’m not here to eat you or whatever,” the prince went on. “In fact, check it out.” He held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. His claws were shorn down too short to be comfortable and filed into blunt edges. “Ta-da. Taako got a manicure.”

In spite of his better judgment, it did make Kravitz feel slightly better.

“Kind of a shitty manicure if you didn’t get them painted,” he said flatly.

“Oh shit, you’re right,” Taako said, frowning at his hands. “Whatever, I’ll do ‘em later. Look, uh, I wanted to talk to you.” He went to the opposite side of the room and sat awkwardly in the chair Merle had dragged in a few days earlier.

“Can you still poison people with your claws like that?” Kravitz asked.

Taako looked at them. “Probably? But Merle says it’s gotta get into your bloodstream or it’s ineffective, and it’s a whole hell of a lot harder to, uh, get these through any flesh like this.”

“Why don’t you keep them like that all the time?”

“Cause it hurts like fuck, mostly. And cause I’m normally real good at not touching anybody.” He didn’t meet Kravitz’ gaze.

Kravitz watched him warily. He could tell that they were filed down much lower than was probably comfortable, but the promise of not poisoning someone by accident seemed worth a bit of discomfort. “That’s not what Hurley said.”

Taako flinched so hard that Kravitz almost felt bad. “I didn’t know then,” he replied. “Look. I fucked up, okay? I should have told you about the poison, and I should have been more clear about not touching my food.”

“Why are you so protective about your food anyway?” Kravitz asked bitterly. This whole stupid incident had happened because of those cookies.

Taako didn’t have eyebrows, exactly, but Kravitz got the idea that he was raising them anyway. “My dude, I just told you I secrete poison from my claws, and you want to know why you shouldn’t eat my cooking?” he asked.

Kravitz stared at him, the pieces finally falling into place. Taako had slapped the cookie out of his hand to _keep_ him from being poisoned. The scratches had been an accident, as everyone had assured him.

“Oh.”

“And like, that’s not the whole of it either?” Taako went on. He as leaning back casually in the chair, his gaze cast off in the distance and looking for all the world like he was vaguely bored. But Kravitz couldn’t help but notice the nervous jiggle in his wrist or the insistent tapping of his fingers against his thigh. Taako gave off an air of not giving a damn, but those tells read like nervousness.

“Okay, see, uhhh, Lucy’s got a sense of humor,” he went on. “Lucretia – you know, the sorceress lady. You met her? She’s the one who did this to me. And she tacked on the poison thing, probably, as a jab at my, um, past performances.

“So like – this part isn’t important, I don’t know why I’m telling you this.” Taako paused, looking frustrated.

Kravitz waited silently, incredibly curious but figuring he ought not say anything. And he didn’t need to. Taako continued himself, without prompting. His nervous jitters had worsened, but he still maintained the casual pose ans general air of indifference.

“There was this, this thing, right, and basically, a whole mess of people got, uh, real sick after they ate some of my cooking. Like, uhhh, really sick. Really, _really_ sick. Like. They all died. And everyone else was, you know, pretty upset about that, and they said I did it on purpose, though, like, why the _fuck_ would I do that? Stupid. Anyway, everyone packed up and moved out, and all my servants fucked off after that, and that’s why the town is empty and Taako don’t cook for nobody anymore. The end.”

It was a horrible story. Taako was clearly trying very hard to pretend it didn’t bother him, but it wasn’t hard to see that it was entirely an act.

“I don’t let _anybody_ eat my cooking, no matter how careful I am. And I’m usually pretty good about not, you know, maiming people,” Taako went on, gesturing casually. “When I got up in your face? Clawed up the counter? All bluster and intimidation tactics. I wanted you to shut the fuck up.”

“For what it’s worth,” Kravitz said quietly, “I’m sorry I taunted you like that. I won’t take back what I said about you bullying your servants, though, because I’m still right.”

Taako huffed in annoyance. “I know,” he said, finally. “S’probably why I was mad about it. And – well, you know, that’s part of the curse too.”

Kravitz wasn’t really expecting him to admit to it, but he should have seen the deflection coming. He rolled his eyes. “What, you’re saying you being a jerk was part of the curse?”

“Not that. I was a jerk before I was a monster, thank you very much,” he replied, meeting Kravitz’ gaze again for a moment. “What you said then. The being forgotten bit. I’m a little _sensitive_ , I guess.”

“Forgotten?” Kravitz blinked. “You were cursed to be forgotten?”

Taako shrugged. “I don’t know what the curse was, exactly, but that was – right, you don’t know about the prophecy,” he said. “Way back like a hundred some years ago, when I was first brought to the castle, there was an old seer lady here. And she had gave a prophecy right after she met me, saying I’d grow up to be a monster and to be forgotten.”

“That’s weird,” Kravitz said. “You’d think, after everything that had happened, being forgotten would be something of a blessing.”

“I dunno about that,” Taako replied gruffly.

“You really want those people who left town to remember you?” Kravitz asked.

“...I don’t know. Not what happened, I guess,” he said. “But to not even be a memory? To be erased from everyone’s minds entirely? Doesn’t seem ideal, my dude.”

“I suppose.” Kravitz thought, a little uncharitably perhaps, that it maybe it wouldn’t be so bad for he himself to be forgotten.

“Well, if it’s any comfort, I doubt I’ll ever forget you,” he added. “I could write your story, if you wanted. Tell it to anyone who will listen.”

“Right, you’re a bard, aren’t you?” Taako mused. “Well, you’re relieved of your duties. I’ll give you some coin for your trouble, and you can be on your way whenever you feel up to it. You can tell people all about me.”

“Mmh.” Now that the whole poisoning issue had been resolved, and now that Taako had trimmed down his claws, Kravitz was a whole lot less averse to sticking around. Maybe the people on the outside needed a bit more time to forget about him.

“What will you call my story?” Taako asked. “You’d better call it something cool.”

“ _The Monster and the Man_ ,” Kravitz said. “Then I can be a part of the story. No, that’s bad.”

“Uh, yeah. Real bad, homie.”

“Consider this one: _The Monstrous Prince and the Affable, Attractive Bard_.”

“It’s getting worse,” Taako groaned. “Keep it simple. How about _Beauty and the Beast_?”

Kravitz raised an eyebrow. “You’re not really very bestial.”

Taako snorted. “I’m the beauty, obviously.”

“If you say so,” Kravitz replied. “I’ll be sure to spend just a little bit too long talking about your exquisite fangs.”

For a moment, he thought he had gone too far. Then Taako barked out a laugh. “I mean, if you’re into that,” he replied. “I actually _was_ super hot before this whole deal, though, you know.”

“Of course you were,” Kravitz replied, quirking his lips into a smile.

“I _was!_ ” Taako protested. “Most beautiful elf in all of Faerun, they called me.”

“I don’t know, Taako. I’ve met some very attractive elves.”

“Mags will tell you how hot I am.”

“Yes, of course he will. Magnus has told me in depth about how beautiful his old pet goldfish was,” Kravitz said. “I’m afraid you’ll have to find an old portrait or something to convince me.”

“Ugh. I don’t think I have any left.”

“No?” That was surprising; Taako was vain enough that Kravitz half expected an entire gallery dedicated to portraits of just his face. Then again, maybe he didn’t want to be reminded of what he had lost.

“I got rid of them all,” he said dismissively, waving a hand. “No big.”

“If you were as attractive as you say, it sounds like a great loss for all of us,” Kravitz teased.

Taako didn’t laugh at that. He just shrugged. “Doesn’t matter now,” he said. “Not like I’ll be looking like that ever again anyway.”

“Well,” Kravitz said, glancing down at his knees under the blankets, “I think I’d like to see one anyway, if you ever find one back.”

“Yeah, sure thing, holmes,” Taako said. He stood up from the chair and stretched as best as he could without hitting the ceiling. “Good talk, yeah? Like, surprisingly good, actually. Who would have thought you were actually a chill dude, huh?”

“Everyone else who has ever spoken to me,” Kravitz deadpanned.

“That so?” Taako asked, his lips curling into a sly grin. “I have it on good authority that you’re actually a huge nerd with a fake accent.”

Kravitz stared at him. How on earth had he figured _that_ out? “What?”

“Apparently, you talk in your sleep,” Taako went on, “and Merle says you sound a lot like a Neverwinterian when you do.”

Well, that would do it. Kravitz didn’t talk in his sleep often, but he supposed when you were in a state of unconsciousness brought on by severe poisoning, all the rules went out the window. It was actually kind of a relief. The weird fantasy Cockney accent he had picked for some goddamn reason was not one of his strongest ones.

“It’s a work thing,” he said in his normal voice. He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Holy shit,” Taako said, sounding delighted. “You _are_ a huge nerd. Holy shit! Do all bards have to affect a fake accent, or just the hot ones?”

“First of all, everyone knows that _all_ bards are hot. Second, it’s not _that_ kind of a work thing,” Kravitz insisted. “Yes, it’s part of being a bard, but – I don’t _sing_ for a living, Taako. I’ve told you folks a hundred times, I’m just an _aspiring_ bard.”

“So what do you do for a living then?” Taako asked, still hovering by the door.

“Right now? I just got fired from my servant gig at a shitty castle.”

“That was less ‘getting fired’ and more ‘being released from indentured servitude,’ but I know a good deflection when I see one,” Taako replied. “Have fun lying in bed or crawling upside down under the bed or whatever you were doing when I came in.”

He opened the door. Merle fell into the room, having apparently been leaning against the door. Magnus fell on top of him, and Killian stumbled but managed to keep her footing.

“Are you fucking serious right now?” Taako asked, looking at the pile of boys on the floor in front of him. “You were eavesdropping?”

Carey’s head popped down from the top of the door frame, as though she was hanging from the ceiling. “So, you two get along now, huh?” she chirped. “That rules. Magnus, you own me three gold.”

“Don’t anybody worry about ol’ Merle down here.” Merle’s voice was muffled from underneath Magnus. “I only broke three ribs there.”

“Good thing you can heal them yourself, huh!” Magnus said, springing back up to his feet. He held a hand out to help Merle up. “But nah, Carey, you said they were going to ‘kiss and make up,’ and I’m pretty sure there was no kissing. Did you guys kiss?”

“You’re not allowed to make bets on my social life!” Taako declared.

“Aw,” said Magnus.

“That wasn’t a no,” added Carey.

“I didn’t hear any kissing sounds,” Merle said.

“ _I_ didn’t bet on any kissing,” Killian said. “You _all_ owe me. I _told_ you his accent was fake.”

“Are they always like this?” Kravitz asked, somewhat bewildered.

“Tragically,” Taako sighed, “yes. They’re part of the curse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something of a short chapter this week, but it really couldn't be combined with anything else. Hope you don't mind! The boys talked, so we'll call it a win. If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a comment or a kudo. Knowing you like my stuff keeps me inspired to make more.
> 
> Also please check out [this AMAZING fanart of Taako's monster form](https://nekosd43.tumblr.com/post/190973847858/a-beastly-taako-as-seen-in-ungarmax-s-fic-a) done by [nekosd43](https://nekosd43.tumblr.com/)! Thank you SO MUCH!!
> 
> You can also fine me on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). I love chatting so feel free to stop on by.


	8. Something There That Wasn't There Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bard has recovered from his ordeals, for the most part, and the castle prepares to say goodbye. When a snow storm keeps him around extra time, what will happen? Probably the same thing that happened during the montage that this chapter's title plays during in the original movie. That's right, it's snowball fight time.
> 
> Join Kravitz as he witnesses a betrayal, starts a war, and levels up his social links.

The problem with being off of servant duty was mainly that things did not suddenly get more interesting once Kravitz was allowed out of bed.

He had healed fairly quickly and with no lasting effects, near as he could tell. He still got exhausted easily and had the occasional dizzy spell, but the impacts were minor. Merle had declared him fit to leave whenever he wanted to, so long as he took it easy. He was expected to leave with Magnus next time he headed out, though he was genuinely debating staying.

There were people who cared about him who were probably worried about him right now. But they were also right to worry. His best bet was to lie low for a little while. And there was no better place to do it than a little castle outside a ghost town at the end of a mostly unused road.

The work the servants did wasn’t fun, but it was necessary, and they did need all the help they could get. Cleaning wasn’t really Kravitz’ first choice of activities, but it was better than sitting in his room alone. Since he wasn’t officially staff anymore, he got to pick and choose his duties too, which meant no more chamber pots and no more dragging brush back from the forest with Magnus.

He defaulted to helping in the kitchen. Ren was good company, and when it came down to it, washing the dishes wasn’t difficult, just a little tedious. He could even do it sitting down when he got too exhausted.

Taako also spent a lot of time in the kitchens, much to Kravitz’ surprise. When he asked Ren about it, she admitted that Taako had spent a lot of his time there, just in general, but he had quit when Kravitz had started working. Now that they were on relatively decent terms, he was no longer trying to avoid Kravitz. Ren did throw him out of the kitchen when she was cooking, though. It seemed that Taako was a terrible backseat chef.

As it turned out, there was a heavy snowstorm the night before Magnus was set to leave. That delayed the trip and Kravitz having to explain his decision to stay. Fat snowflakes cascaded down so thick that he couldn’t see the gates leading to town, and they kept coming down all night.

The morning after the storm, there was plenty of work needed outside the castle. Magnus and Carey and Sloane headed up to the roof to shovel the snow off before the weight damaged the roof. A large tree had come down in the courtyard, and Julia and Hurley and Killian were taking care of chopping it up and moving it out. Merle and Kravitz set to work digging a path out across the bridge and into the village. Davenport and Ren stayed inside to make hot cocoa and tea for everyone.

Even Taako had bundled up in what Kravitz privately considered to be more scarves than strictly necessary, a long woolen cape, and a pair of ill fitting snow boots. His feet were shaped vaguely similar to a wolf’s paw, though much longer, and his claws poked through the soles of most shoes. This time, he had apparently wrapped his toe claws in a thick layer of cloth to keep that from happening.

Taako was mostly just supervising everyone else, giving intentionally bad advice, and commenting on Kravitz’ form. It was getting a little annoying. Although the whole accidentally getting poisoned thing had been cleared up, Taako was still not Kravitz’ favorite person.

Kravitz was dressed in some of Magnus’ winter gear, and it was too big for him, leading him to drop the shovel or trip over his too big boots. He was cold, and his threshold for Taako’s bullshit was lower than normal.

There was only one solution here. As Taako turned back to go hassle someone else, Kravitz propped his shovel in the snow, grabbed a handful, packed it into a ball, and chucked it at the back of Taako’s head. He didn’t wait to see if it hit before grabbing his shovel again and feigning innocence.

Merle, to his credit, also continued to work as though nothing had happened. When Taako jerked around to glare at them, all he saw was a half elf and a dwarf, diligently clearing the walkway. After a moment or two, he turned back to watching Magnus and Carey on the roof.

Kravitz gave Merle a wide grin and mouthed, ‘Watch this.’ He gathered up another snowball. “Hey, your highnessness!” he called.

Taako turned back, a retort forming in his throat, and was met immediately by a snowball to the face. The face he made was enough to send Merle falling over into the snow. Kravitz laughed too, abandoning his shovel and dodging behind a tree as Taako gathered up his own snowball.

“You are going to regret that,” Taako howled. A snowball flew by the tree Kravitz was ducking by and just missed him.

“I haven’t yet,” Kravitz laughed.

Taako’s next throw connected with his shoulder, but Kravitz followed that up with a barrage of his own snowballs. Taako tried to chase after him but tripped over his ill fitting boots and went face down in the snow.

Kravitz laughed and jogged toward him, more careful in his motions, but he was caught by surprise when another snowball hit him from the side.

Magnus was still on top of the castle, whooping and making another snowball. “No one attacks my prince and gets away with it!” he shouted.

There was no way Kravitz could throw a snowball that high. This meant trouble.

“Long live the king!” Carey screamed and hurled a snowball into Magnus’ face.

Magnus was caught off guard and lost his footing, falling over sideways on the angled roof and sliding down toward the edge. Kravitz startled as he tried to grab onto the edge and failed. He didn’t know any levitation spells, but –

A snowball pelted him in the shoulder, and he spared a glance for Taako, who was gathering more snow. He hadn’t seemed to notice Magnus’ plight.

“Taako – ”

He turned back toward Magnus, who was now...gently drifting down from the top of the castle like a leaf.

“You think I’d let those chucklefucks gallivant around up there without casting feather fall on them first?” Taako asked, rolling his eyes.

The spike of adrenaline was fading a little bit. Magnus was still falling slowly, doing flips in the air as he went. Kravitz realized this was a prime opportunity for revenge. He gathered up another snowball and pelted Magnus with it while he was too far away from any snow to retaliate.

“Hey! Hey, no fair, that’s cheating!” Magnus cried, flailing.

Carey sent another snowball down from the roof, cackling as she knocked him into a spiraling somersault.

“It’s only cheating if I say it is,” Taako said, and also pelted Magnus with a snowball.

“I was fighting on your side!” Magnus protested. “This is treason!”

“Ooof,” said Merle sympathetically. “That’s going on a list of top ten anime betrayals, for sure.”

“Every man for himself, Magnus!” Kravitz called, and threw another snowball at Taako, just because.

Before long, it became an all out war with no sides. All the screaming and laughing had gotten the attention of those in the courtyard, and soon Killian was acting as a living shield for Carey as she darted out and pelted people while Julia sat on Magnus’ shoulders because her aim was better and Taako had resorted to using a mage hand to help him stuff snow down the backs of people’s shirts. Even Davenport and Ren came out to see what was going on. Davenport was surprisingly easy to rope in, but Ren resisted until Sloane hit her in the face with a snowball.

This continued until Kravitz flopped down in the snow, too cold and exhausted to move, and Merle suddenly wondered aloud if it was a good idea for him to exert himself that much.

Ren went inside to finish up the cocoa, and Killian easily scooped Kravitz up, setting him on his feet. Magnus hovered by his elbow worriedly, but he brushed him off. “I’m fine, really,” he insisted. “I’m just tired. I didn’t fall, I flopped. It’s an entirely different thing.”

And he really was fine. He walked himself right back into the palace and took off his cloak and his mittens and his boots all on his own.

Taako followed him in because he was ‘bored of doing work,’ which Kravitz interpreted as ‘worried about Kravitz.’ He wouldn’t go quite so far as to say he and Taako were friends, but he was getting better at recognizing that Taako didn’t show affection in quite the same way he was used to.

While the two of them hung up their wet clothes in front of the fireplace, Ren finished up the cocoa. Kravitz retrieved a towel to squeeze the melted snow out of his dreadlocks. They were going to be a real pain to deal with later. “Come sit in the dining room with me, my dude,” Taako said. “It’s boring in there alone.”

As it stood, there was a very nice, plush chair in the dining room with a back and armrests, unlike the hard, backless benches in the servants’ dining room. Kravitz was going to take it because he was, in fact, quite exhausted. Taako sat on the stool on the far end of the table, where the table was scratched up. The stool, Kravitz had learned, was easier and more comfortable for Taako’s ungainly frame.

“I can barely even see you over there,” Kravitz told him, cradling his mug of hot cocoa between his very cold hands.

“If I leave this end of the table, this end stops being the head and you end up at the head,” Taako replied. “Can’t have that. I’m the prince here, not you.”

“How do you know?” Kravitz quipped. “Maybe I’m a runaway prince, moonlighting as a traveling bard.”

“Well, you’re not the prince of _this_ castle, anyway,” Taako remarked, staying where he was.

“Have it your way,” Kravitz replied. The chair he had was very comfortable. He considered taking a nap right there, once his cocoa was gone.

Taako sat in silence for a moment before giving in. He took his stool and dragged it to the side of the table facing the fireplace and scooted a bit further than halfway down to where Kravitz was situated.

“Just so you know,” he stated, “this entire side of the table is mine, and _it’s_ now the head of the table, so I’m still in charge.”

“Understood, my liege.” Kravitz smiled behind his mug.

“So anyway,” Taako continued, nursing his cocoa, “I’m throwing you in the dungeon for the snowball thing. Just so you know.”

“Don’t joke about that. Your dungeon sucks.”

“It’s supposed to suck. It’s a dungeon.” He side-eyed Kravitz. “Who said I was kidding?”

“Ren will back me up. You can’t put someone in a dungeon for starting a snowball fight.”

“You started a mutiny, is what you did. I’m throwing you all in the dungeon.”

“Good luck with that,” Ren called from the kitchen. “You’d die of boredom in three hours if you didn’t have us to entertain you.”

Taako made a face. It went without saying that she was right.

It was nice, sitting here like this. The room was warm, the cocoa was delicious, and the company was strangely pleasant. Kravitz hadn’t just fucked off and had some good, clean fun like that in a long time. It reminded him of home, a little bit, although things had been a little tense there for a while. He still missed his family dearly.

“You look pensive,” Taako said, cutting into his thoughts. “No deep, dark thoughts after a snowball fight. That’s a rule around these parts.”

“Mmh, not dark thoughts,” Kravitz promised. “I was just thinking about my family. I haven’t seen them in some time, that’s all.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Taako asked cautiously.

“It’s...a mixed bag, really,” Kravitz admitted. “It’s probably good for them, less good for me. I do miss them a good deal. But thinking about them isn’t a bad thing. It’s been quite a while, but that’s not atypical for us.”

“Well, once we get the road cleared out a little bit, Maggie should be able to get you to Waterdeep all right,” Taako pointed out. “You might have to wait a little while. The snow doesn’t stick around too long this time of year, usually, but you’ll be taking the cart, and that will be extra trouble.”

“I, um, I wanted to talk to you about that, actually,” Kravitz said, frowning.

“About the cart?”

“About leaving.” He sighed a little. It was difficult to explain this without giving away more than he wanted to. “I was thinking of staying on a little longer. I’ll help out – earn my keep or whatnot. Maybe just for the winter.”

There was a long pause. He could feel those deep amber eyes on him, but he didn’t look up. “You don’t want to leave?” Taako asked.

“I...it’s sort of complicated.” He stared into the fireplace. Taako had turned it a pale reddish-pink to match the decor of the room, which cast the area in a strange light. “I made some mistakes that I would rather not have come back to my family. If I stay here, where no one can find me...well, the hope is that the mistakes will, er, calm down a little.”

“Aha, a glimpse into the secret backstory,” Taako said, sounding delighted. “We must have leveled up our friendship, bubbeleh. Got a new social link.”

“When do I get to hear more about yours?” Kravitz asked, glancing over at him.

“You already know my tragic backstory,” Taako pointed out. “It’s not exactly a federal secret or anything.”

“There’s plenty I don’t know,” Kravitz said. “Why were you chosen to be the crown prince when you’re not a twin? Why did Lucretia curse you? There’s a lot about you that doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“I got picked because of the stars that were out when I was born or some shit like that, I don’t know,” Taako replied flippantly. “Listen, elf shit? It’s fucked up. They don’t always pick twins. Like, in my case, I think they found the unluckiest bastard that they could because giving me the throne would _make_ me stupid lucky, right? Except that turned out to be one hundred percent garbo. Obviously.”

“It just seems weird,” Kravitz said. “You don’t think it has anything to do with the current rulers, do you?”

“King Edward and Queen Lydia? I mean, yeah, they’re devious, lying sacks of shit, but can you expect anything better from elven royalty?” Taako shrugged. “I dunno why they would have anything to do with what’s going on here, though.”

“But haven’t they been in power for a really long time?” Kravitz asked. “Maybe they don’t want to give up the throne.”

“So they, what, hired Lucretia to put a curse on me?” Taako asked incredulously. “Listen. I know you half humans can’t understand how time actually works because you’re, what, like six years old or something – ”

“I’m 32.”

“Whatever. Point is, being a prince is fucking boring like 90 percent of the time? And sure, maybe doing it for a hundo, two hundo years isn’t so bad, but most elves just get sick of it after a while. God. Can you imagine doing fancy dinners and politics and delegations for _five hundred years?_ That’s how long _they’ve_ been doing it. If anything, I got picked because they desperately wanted out and no one else fit the bill. So they slipped me in through a loophole.”

Kravitz shrugged. “It still sounds suspicious to me.”

“I can’t believe you’re a fucking conspiracy theorist.”

“Where does Lucretia come into play here, then? She used to work in the castle?”

“Yeah? She was the castle wizard for a few years. She was on the first train out when the shit started hitting the fan,” Taako said, making a face.

“But why did she curse you? She doesn’t seem _vengeful_ or whatever.”

“I don’t know! To teach me a lesson or some shit, I guess! It’s pretty fucked up to me, too, cause I kinda thought we were friends before all this!” Taako threw his hands in the air dramatically. “Maybe let’s not talk about this? Maybe let’s – hey, Krav, what’s the shittiest thing that’s ever happened to you? Let’s really get down into the deets here, you know, talk about how it really made you feel, way deep down.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Kravitz said, backing off. “I’m just – it’s very curious to me, that’s all. And if I’m going to tell you story, I’d like to tell it right.”

“Don’t forget to tell the part where you repaid my hospitality by trying to steal my most prized possession,” Taako grumbled.

“Your…?” Kravitz looked up at the mantle. Sure enough, the glass rose was still there, resting inside its unremarkable glass vase. It was pretty enough and obviously worth a good amount of gold, being made out of gemstones and all, but he was sure he had seen them around elsewhere. It couldn’t be that precious, could it? “That’s your most prized possession?”

“Well...maybe not. It’s up there, though,” Taako replied, also turning his gaze to it.

He flicked a hand in the rose’s direction. It seemed to brighten up with an inner glow, each petal radiating its own soft light. Pink motes of radiance gently drifted down around it before winking out as they reached the mantle. It was a lovely display.

“It was a gift, see,” he went on. He frowned. “Or, it was supposed to be. For somebody real special. I made it myself. Transmuted all those petals one by one into pink sapphire. Took for fucking _ever_ to get it right. Made it out of a real rose and everything, and I went through like...dozens trying to get it perfect. Turns out the petals fall off if they’re too heavy.”

Kravitz frowned at the radiant little flower. It truly was beautiful, there was no question of that, and now that he knew it had been transmuted from a real rose, he could understand why. Whatever else he had seen must have been a knock off of some variety.

“Who was it for?” he asked.

Taako fell silent for a long moment, long enough that Kravitz assumed he was ignoring the question entirely.

“It’s...kind of a long story,” he finally said. “And it doesn’t really matter anyway, does it? I never got to give it to ‘em, obviously. It’s just sitting here, over my fucking fireplace, collecting dust.” He scoffed, seeming suddenly irate with the entire situation. “I probably should have just let you keep it.”

It seemed like something of a sore spot. Kravitz hadn’t guessed there was any sort of sentimental attachment to the rose before, but maybe he should have. Taako’s careful handling of the rose when Kravitz had given it back to him could easily be explained by not wanting to touch Kravitz, but it seemed there was more to it than that.

Taako snapped his fingers, ending the spell that was illuminating the rose. Then he picked up his mug and downed the last of his cocoa in one big gulp. Then, slamming the cup back down on the table, he stood up.

“Well, all finished. Time for Taako to have some Taako time,” he declared.

“Wait.” Kravitz felt the need to fix this somehow. He didn’t want Taako to leave with in a sour mood on his account. “You asked me before what the shittiest thing that’s ever happened to me is, right? I’ll tell you. I mean, if you still want me to.”

Taako paused, still standing but also not storming out of the room. Kravitz took that as a positive sign and kept going.

“Well. I suppose I’d have to think about it a little,” he admitted after a pause. “But, you see, it’s hard for me because a lot of the bad things that have happened...well, the _good_ things that have happened wouldn’t have happened if the bad things hadn’t. So it’s hard to say what would be worse.”

“That’s a cop out answer,” Taako snorted.

“No, listen. When I was a child, I got...taken away from my family. I don’t remember them or even what my real name is,” Kravitz said. “The people who took me are the ones who gave me the name Kravitz. It was a really bad thing, right? But if that hadn’t happened, I never would have met the people I consider to be my family now. I don’t know what my old family was like. Maybe I would have been better off with them. Maybe not.”

“That’s a weird flex, but okay,” Taako replied, settling back down on his stool. “Seems like, I dunno, a unilaterally bad thing to me. That’s – you never heard the saying, ‘The end justifies the means?’ I think maybe it don’t, homie. I think even when bad shit gets a happy ending, you still get to be fucked up about it having happened.”

“That isn’t what I meant exactly, but your point is noted,” Kravitz replied. He sipped at what was left of his hot cocoa, feeling a bit pensive.

“Anyway, that whole bit was a lie, wasn’t it?”

Kravitz quirked an eyebrow. “What makes you say that?”

“You’re a _bard_ ,” Taako replied. “Bards never tell the truth. That’s just facts, my dude. And giving yourself a tragic backstory is the best way to get people to trust you. Everybody knows that.”

He had to laugh at that. Taako wasn’t wrong; lying was a big part of his job. He just wasn’t quite expecting to be called out on that.

“All right, it wasn’t quite that dramatic. I was raised by my grandparents. They live in Rockport,” he said.

“Or maybe _that’s_ the lie,” Taako said, conspiratorially.

“You have to level up our social link again before you can find out for sure,” Kravitz replied. He put his empty mug on the table and leaned back in his chair.

It was strange. He couldn’t quite parse their relationship. He was normally very good at that sort of thing, at reading people and figuring out what they were all about. It wasn’t hard to discern if someone believed you or not if you could read their tells.

But Taako was like an open book that was also a mystery novel at the same time. Some things were easy enough. He felt guilty about the poisoning incident and was terrified of what he was capable of. He acted like a jerk because he was afraid to be alone but also was determined to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. He didn’t like to talk about the curse unless he was the one who brought it up.

Other things were harder. Kravitz thought that Taako was generally fairly truthful on the off chance he actually gave you a straight answer, but his face was so inhuman and his movements so strange that it was difficult to tell. He could mask his emotions to a certain degree the same way, although Kravitz had no trouble with the inflections of his voice.

There were just so many things Kravitz couldn’t even begin to guess at. Sometimes things that set Taako off seemed entirely innocuous, and some things didn’t set him off that one might assume would have to. Navigating his sudden mood shifts rather felt like picking one’s way through a minefield and only learning what would go off by stepping on it.

Neither of the stories Kravitz had told about his childhood were strictly true, and Taako had seen through that easily enough. But the story had had its intended effect of convincing him to stick around anyway.

“You know, not a lot of people have the gall to lie to me,” Taako said after a moment.

“Yes, well, I’m not a lot of people,” Kravitz said. “Most people would be afraid of you too, I think, especially after the whole arm incident.”

Taako turned to look at him. “And you aren’t?”

“Not especially,” Kravitz replied, shrugging. “I was for a while. But you...made certain it wouldn’t happen again.” He glanced at Taako’s claws, still carefully trimmed and now painted a lovely wine red color. “It’s clear that that isn’t a lot of fun for you, which meant you were probably quite serious about not wanting a repeat. You’re not really that scary once someone gets to know you, Taako.”

“Aw,” said Taako, sounding miffed.

“But that’s not really what you want, is it?” Kravitz persisted. “You don’t really want people to be scared of you. You could be terrifying if you wanted, but you don’t.”

“That’s a straight up lie right there, my man,” Taako said, waving a finger at him. “This form ain’t exactly my jam, but I’m real fond of the intimidation factor that it brings.”

“Sure, because you find it amusing to scare people, not because you actually want people to be afraid of you,” Kravitz replied. “Otherwise the people in this castle wouldn’t be so staunchly protective of you.”

“Stop psychoanalyzing me,” Taako whined. “It’s weird.”

“Well,” Kravitz said with a laugh, “I’m sorry. I just don’t think you’re very scary.” He reached out to where Taako’s arm rested on the table to pat it.

Taako jerked his hand back, staring at Kravitz.

“Maybe you ought to be a little bit scared,” he said sharply.

Kravitz didn’t say anything. Maybe it had been careless, or maybe it had just been too much, too soon. His motions hadn’t been an accident but more of an act of trust. In his business, sometimes you had to take risks. And sometimes those risks didn’t pay off the way you wanted them to. It was what it was.

“Look, just – no touchie, okay? Taako don’t do the touching thing,” Taako said haughtily, standing up from his stool again. “Just trust me on this one, my guy. It ain’t worth it.”

“Sure,” Kravitz said easily. “I got it.”

“Nice chats are fine. And it was. A nice chat, I mean,” Taako went on. “But those assholes probably need more help outside, and you...you probably need a good lie down, I’m guessing.” He looked Kravitz up and down. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” Kravitz replied flatly. “You look like a spooky forest cryptid.”

“Now that’s a look I can get behind,” Taako snorted. “Ren! We’re done with our hot cocoa.”

“So be a big boy and bring your cups into the kitchen,” Ren called back.

Kravitz chuckled as he stood up. Immediately, the world tilted to the side, and he grabbed onto the table to keep himself from falling right over. Taako took a large step back, hovering anxiously out of reach. “Ren? Get in here, stat!” he called.

“I’m okay,” Kravitz said insistently. “I’m just a little dizzy.”

“Good heavens,” Ren admonished, bustling over to his side and sliding his arm over her shoulders. “You look like you’re about to fall over. Maybe next time, don’t put him to work while he’s not fully recovered.” She shot a glare at Taako.

“He _offered_ ,” Taako remarked defensively.

“I was bored,” Kravitz said. “Really, I’m just exhausted. Give me a few minutes to – there, see? I’m good.” He straightened up.

“Yes, yes, let’s get you to bed.”

“It was probably the snowball fight that wore him out,” Taako remarked, sounding a little sullen.

“It was worth it,” Kravitz remarked, glancing over his shoulder at Taako. “But once I’m fully recovered, you’d better watch yourself. I’ll be coming on strong for the rematch.”

There was a glint in Taako’s eyes. “I’ll look forward to it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! This was another short one, apparently! I thought I had made the chapters longer, but November was like a lifetime ago by now. Oh well. Maybe I have just always written short chapters and never realized it until now.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment or a kudo if you did -- it means the world to me.
> 
> As always, you can find me on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). Thanks for reading!


	9. Only Ever Looking Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that the winter has begun in earnest and the bard has decided to stay at the castle, he finds himself strangely restless. Exploring the castle might be one way to ease his wanderlust, but perhaps there are some places he is not welcome.
> 
> Kravitz gets interrogated. Taako gets some tea. Magnus gets covered in soot.

The castle of Glamour Springs was not much like the sprawling, many towered palace of Neverwinter nor the squat, heavily defended fortress of Gauntlgrym, but it was certainly larger than any residence Kravitz had lived in before. The sparse handful of rooms kept warm and clean by the servants were only a fraction of the dozens of rooms locked away behind closed doors and under layers of dust. There was simply too much to do to bother with the upkeep of so many gratuitous rooms.

The whole thing spoke of mystery. There was something very poetic about it, something that intrigued Kravitz on a deeper level. The empty halls were heavy with a sense of sadness. In spite of knowing the history of this place and why so much had fallen into disuse, it filled him with a quiet, nagging feeling of desire to know more.

And so, in the early afternoon when the lunch dishes were drying, he would go back to his room, pull on his warmest cloak, and explore the empty castle.

The castle was three generous stories tall in most places, with the two towers another story tall. The western side contained the servants’ quarters, far more than the paltry seven rooms being currently used. It seemed that this castle had boasted quite the staff back in the day. The chambers were almost entirely empty, although there would be a forgotten item here and there.

Beyond the kitchen and the royal dining room lay a grand banquet hall. It was lavishly decorated, and the massive windows overlooked the deep ravine stretching out beyond the castle with a breathtaking view. The table stretched impossibly long, filling the entire room. Chairs lined each side, with a larger, more throne-like chair at one of the shorter ends.

Apart from the thick layer of dust and the faded fabric of the carpet and chairs, the hall was in pristine form, with empty plates and napkins at each place and each chair perfectly aligned. Despite that, though, it wasn’t hard to picture the grim scene that had befallen at the prince’s feast. Everything had been cleaned up carefully, with no trace of the disaster that had claimed so many lives, but just the knowing made the air feel just a little thicker and colder here.

Kravitz didn’t spend much time in that room.

There were many other smaller rooms, ones meant for royalty, and he found these much more interesting than the empty servants’ quarters. He found another study, this one smaller and, if he had to guess, unused even before it had stopped being cleaned. There was a conservatory with large windows looking over rows of pots and garden plots. Many were empty, but there were still some withered plants here and there. Without the means to heat the room, it wasn’t much better than the outside garden Merle kept during the warmer months.

He found a sprawling, multistory library with more books in it than he could recall ever seeing in one place before. He noticed some of the books seemed to be missing, although it made more sense to keep regularly used books elsewhere. The library had its own magical heat source that ran constantly, keeping the room from the same freezing cold as other areas, although it still too cold to be comfortable. This was, he assumed, to preserve the books.

There was a pair of guest bedrooms in a hall on the first floor, bigger and fancier than the servants’ quarters. They even had their own attached lavatory connecting the two rooms, which he was mildly jealous of. There were a few small sitting rooms, a game room, an arcane laboratory, and what looked like some sort of meeting room.

Each thing he found had some sort of untold story. He found himself carrying a pad of paper and jotting down notes. He drew a little map and even sketched a few things he found interesting. He wasn’t going to be able to stay here forever, after all. He wanted to take as much of this strange place with him as possible when he left.

He found his favorite room a few weeks into winter proper. Outside, the winds howled around the castle, whistling through the towers and rattling some of the windows. It was just as cold inside, although at least here, he was protected from the bitter wind.

The room was nestled on the inside of the castle with no outside facing walls. That meant it was marginally warmer within. It wasn’t enough to make a difference, normally, but that, combined with the fact that it was a rather small room, made it so that a prestidigitation spell was able to warm the fireplace just enough so he could no longer see his breath.

It was a little lounge area, probably not to entertain guests in, judging by the size of the room. The fireplace was set in the center of the far wall, small and cozy. The mantle around it was made from a dark wood and embellished with subtle designs. The floor was hardwood to match, decorated with a cream colored rug. Two armchairs of plum velvet were huddled near the fireplace and stacked with a few ivory and plum pillows. A matching ivory throw blanket was over the side of the chair.

The walls were covered in a beautiful damask patterned wallpaper in a deeper ivory color. There was a small bookshelf on one side of the fireplace, although it held only a handful of books and seemed to mostly be there to hold a few small, decorative candles. On the walls on either side of the fireplace were two squares of discolored wallpaper where two paintings had presumably hung for a very long time, although there was no sign of where they might be now. A small chandelier hung down from the ceiling, rather simple compared to those in other rooms.

What had really grabbed Kravitz’ interest, though, was the stately upright piano pushed against the eastern wall. It was made of the same dark wood as the fireplace, and the bench was covered in purple velvet to match the chairs. A sheet of music was still on the rack.

It had been a very long time since he had gotten to play a piano.

Like everything else in these parts of the castle, the piano and everything else in the room was covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs. Mice had ransacked the edge of the rug and bits of the pillows for their nests. The wallpaper was discolored in a few places, stained by some mysterious moisture.

But Kravitz didn’t mind that so much. He returned the next day with cleaning supplies and began cleaning off the piano. The sheet music was so faded it was almost unreadable, and the piano itself had suffered some of the strange moisture damage as the wallpaper. It was difficult to clean in such a cold area, but he didn’t have the means to heat the room with anything but a simple, short-lived cantrip.

It wasn’t until the third day that he even got to the point where he would dare try playing it. He carefully sat on the bench and opened the cover. He took a moment to run his fingers over the keys. The cover hadn’t been a perfect seal, but it had protected the keys well enough for them to be dust free and clean, compared to the rest of it. The keys were all intact and only slightly discolored. There was no way the piano was going to play well; it hadn’t been tuned in over a decade, he was sure, and the inside of the piano was not in wonderful shape. But maybe he could fix it up a little bit. Maybe he could make it sing anyway.

He pressed a key. It was harder than it was supposed to be to depress it entirely, but when he did, the single note rang out clearly. That was a good sign.

Emboldened, he attempted a simple C major scale. That was less promising. The G didn’t play at all, and the B key got stuck in the pressed position and wouldn’t lift again. The black keys didn’t fair much better.

All right, so not great. He had expected a piano in need of tuning but still playable. He could play an out of tun piano and still derive enjoyment from it. But if the keys didn’t work correctly, it was going to be nigh impossible to play at all.

With a frown, he stood up and carefully lifted the top to inspect the strings and hammers. He had opened it briefly while cleaning it, but he hadn’t exactly poked around inside. The strings _looked_ decent enough, and the hammers seemed to be in good condition, but he didn’t really know much about pianos. Even plinking at some of the problematic keys and watching the way the hammers moved didn’t inform him much on how to fix the issue.

He sighed, carefully closing the top again and rubbing his hands together for warmth. It was really too cold to play in here anyway, even if he had managed to fix the piano. It was likely that at some point, they had had tuning tools in the castle, but he had no idea who would even know how to use them. He hadn’t seen anyone else play any instruments while he was here.

It had been a long shot to begin with, he supposed.

* * *

That evening, Kravitz brought the topic up with Magnus at the dinner table.

“Do you check the unused rooms for damage often?” he wondered as he finished off the last of his bowl of venison stew.

“During the spring, usually,” Magnus replied. “The snow does a number to the place. If you’re sticking around, we’ll have plenty for you to do once the snow melts. Why? Did you find something?”

“Yeah,” Kravitz admitted. “I’ve been doing a little exploring.”

“So _that’s_ why you keep coming back covered in dust,” Julia said.

“Oh,” he said sheepishly. “I guess it is. I, uh, started cleaning up one of the rooms. I guess I haven’t been cleaning _myself_ off properly...”

“What’d you find?” Magnus asked curiously.

“A small lounge on the first floor, over in the eastern wing,” Kravitz said. “Just a little room, only a couple of chairs and a piano. It looked like there was some water damage or something, and if there’s a leak so bad that the bottom floor is getting damaged, well, I figured you should know about it.”

Magnus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Lots of little lounges like that. Show me after dinner. It’s probably something with the fireplace chimney, but if it _is_ a leak, I’ll need to take care of it as soon as possible.”

And so the two of them headed to the eastern wing. The area was a sprawling maze of hallways and doors that looked exactly the same unless you knew what you were looking for. Fortunately, Kravitz had been out this direction a few times now, and he was easily able to identify the empty flower stand that stood two doors down from the lounge.

Magnus went to work immediately, inspecting the fireplace, while Kravitz stood by and watched. He didn’t know much about maintaining a chimney, making him somewhat useless here. His eyes wandered back over to the old piano without permission.

Well, if anyone knew how to tune a piano, it would be the maintenance guy, he supposed.

“Hey, uh, do you know anything about pianos?” he asked.

Magnus was kneeling down with his head in the fireplace as he tried, probably, to look up the chimney. “What?”

“...never mind.”

Magnus had left the door open when they had entered, not worried about conserving heat or privacy. Even so, when Taako poked his head around the corner, it startled Kravitz.

“And just what are you chucklefucks doing?” he asked. It was difficult to say whether he was annoyed about them being here or just putting on a show of being annoyed. “What’s got you prowling around the east wing, huh?”

“Hey, Taako!” Magnus crawled back out of the fireplace. He was covered in soot. “Kravitz found some water damage, so I wanted to make sure we didn’t have a multistory leak. But I think I found the problem. Damper’s not working right. I’ll probably need to replace the one on the roof too, in that case.”

“Cool,” Taako said, unemphatically. “Can it wait until spring?”

“The upper one, sure. But I’ll have to fix this one sooner than that. Guess I’ll have to check the other grates too on this line, just to make sure they’re not doing the same thing,” Magnus said.

“I don’t know what any of that means. Have fun, I guess,” Taako said. He turned his somewhat unsettling gaze toward Kravitz. “And what about you?”

Kravitz couldn’t help but feel a little defensive. He knew that this was Taako’s castle, of course, but he had grown fond of this little lounge after spending most of his free time here these past few days. The piano was the real reason he had had any interest in the room, though, and that had ended up as a total bust. Even if Magnus did know how to tune a piano, the moisture damage meant that it would probably need more work, if it even could be recovered.

Music was just...something a little personal for Kravitz. Maybe it was an odd way for a bard to feel when they were generally considered performers, but it had been a very long time since he had gotten to play a real instrument. To find a secluded room in an area of the castle no one visited that had a piano in it had seemed...well, too good to be true, he supposed.

“I didn’t know that this area was off limits,” he said, maybe a little coldly.

Taako cocked his head to the side just slightly, and his ears flicked downwards a hair. “Didn’t say you weren’t allowed over here, my man,” he replied. “I mean, you don’t have a _great_ track record or whatever, but, you know, I’m a forgiving guy. I’ve moved on.”

Kravitz couldn’t quite keep himself from rolling his eyes. “Clearly my indiscretions barely even cross your mind anymore,” he said.

“So what are you doing over here?”

The implication was clear. Taako trusted him, for the most part, but not enough that popping up unexpectedly on this end of the castle didn’t cause him some worry. Kravitz supposed that he really did have that coming.

“I was just exploring,” he said, shrugging. “I haven’t gotten a chance to poke around many castles before. When I saw the moisture damage, I brought it up with Magnus.”

“Hm.” Taako’s piercing golden gaze scanned the room, probably looking for evidence of something missing. His gaze paused on the piano, quiet obviously having just recently been cleaned, whereas everything else in the room was still pretty dirty. “Oh, shit. My old piano. I forgot that was even in here. I haven’t played in _ages_.”

“You play?” Kravitz asked, more out of politeness than any actual curiosity.

“Well, not anymore. Pretty hard when you have giant meat hooks on the ends of your fingers,” Taako replied, heading over. His claws were trimmed, sure, but they would still hinder his playing if he were to try. “But, you know. Mandatory musical education to round out my artistic expression and try to imbue me with culture or some shit.” He idly pressed one of the keys, the claw clicking against the ivory.

“I don’t believe that piano is going to be playing anything properly any time soon,” Kravitz said, frowning at the beautiful wood frame. “Some of the moisture in here got to it, and it’s criminally out of tune.”

“Hmm.” Taako’s eyes scanned the instrument for a moment before he stepped back. “Well, I don’t know anything about that. Maggie, let me know if you need parts or whatever to fix all that shit.”

“Will do, boss,” Magnus called.

“Have fun with your frozen piano,” Taako went on, directing this toward Kravitz. “Taako’s out. It’s fucking _cold_ in here.”

It _was_ cold, and Kravitz hadn’t really intended to stay long anyway. Magnus certainly didn’t need his help to work on the fireplace, and there was really nothing he could do for the piano. But he didn’t particularly want to spend more time with Taako at the moment. He supposed he would wait and just head back with Magnus.

“Good night, Taako,” he said, and settled down on the piano bench.

It took Taako a moment to leave, but Kravitz didn’t look at him to see why.

* * *

The following afternoon, Kravitz felt a little moody as he washed the lunch dishes. He kept conversation up with Ren for the sake of appearances, but he was privately rather disappointed. Taako had not exactly forbade him from continuing his exploration of the castle grounds, it was true, but he felt like the conversation had strongly discouraged it.

Well, he supposed he had not yet regained Taako’s trust from the theft incident. He hadn’t stolen anything since then, of course, but how should Taako know that?

That didn’t mean he wasn’t a little bitter about it, though.

“Oh, drat,” Ren muttered to herself, breaking him out of his thoughts as he put the last of the dishes away.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“It’s inventory day,” she said. “Davenport takes an inventory each month of all our supplies. I completely forgot that was today. He’s usually here by now.”

Davenport did often appear in the kitchen to brew a pot of tea around the time that Kravitz finished up the dishes. For a moment, Kravitz didn’t understand what the trouble was; surely, Ren could brew her own tea, if she was just sharing some with Davenport normally. But even as she put the water on to boil, he understood.

“He made Taako’s afternoon tea?” he said.

“Yeah, but I’ve got to get this bread in,” she replied. “Do you think you could take it to him?”

Kravitz wanted nothing less than to bring Taako his tea, but he smiled anyway. “Of course. Don’t worry about it, Ren.”

And that was how he found himself, ten minutes later, pushing the tea cart down the hallway toward Taako’s study. It wasn’t really a big deal, he reasoned. Taako would probably send him away again after he delivered the tea, and then he could...well, he didn’t quite know what he was going to do with his afternoon.

He knocked on the door twice, and Taako’s voice bade him to enter.

Within the study, Taako was crouched in front of the fireplace, arranging the burning logs with a poker. He glanced up and paused in surprise when he saw Kravitz.

“Oh shit, I was expecting Ren,” he said, straightening up.

“She hasn’t finished the bread for dinner yet,” Kravitz replied. “I offered to take it for her.”

“She made it, though, right?” Taako asked suspiciously, heading back over toward his desk. “You always steep yours too long.”

“I...have no idea how you would know that, but you’re probably right.”

Taako tapped his nose. “It’s not hard, my man. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup. I’ll teach you how to make tea.”

“Oh, I don’t need any tea, I just – ”

“You’re covering for Dav, right?” Taako quipped, pouring himself a cup. “He always has a cup with me. Sit.” He waved a finger at the chair across from the desk.

Kravitz sighed and sat down, waiting for Taako to finish pouring his tea before preparing himself a cup. At least Ren made good tea, although rose hip wasn’t his preferred flavor.

Taako watched him curiously, his ears pointed upwards toward the ceiling. “Am I keeping you from something?” he asked, vague amusement in his tone. “More exploration, perhaps?”

“I got the idea you would rather I didn’t,” Kravitz replied flatly.

Taako leaned back in his chair languidly, crossing one unnaturally long leg over the other in a pose that looked far more awkward than it did relaxed. “Do you blame me?” he asked.

“Not really,” Kravitz admitted, smoothing out his expression as best he could do hide his frustration. He took a sip of his tea. “I haven’t stolen anything, though.”

“I know that,” Taako replied. “You’re smarter than that, and you’d hardly bring the place to Mags’ attention if you were intending to clean it out. Besides, you’d have to dust everything before you could nab something without it being noticeable.”

Kravitz raised an eyebrow. “So...if you don’t think I’m stealing from you, then why don’t you want me poking around the place?” he asked.

“Well, you know? I thought about it a bit. I thought, maybe I’m asking the wrong questions. Maybe I should ask, why _isn’t_ he stealing my shit?” Taako mused. “It’s clear you don’t have enough moral objection to theft to not do it. And you swore up and down to me that you just needed the money, and that you didn’t think it would be a big deal to take just one thing. So what’s stopping you now, hmm? Certainly, you didn’t pay off your bills working here.”

“The idea that I learned my lesson didn’t cross your mind?” Kravitz asked, frowning.

“Sure, but I didn’t believe it for a second,” Taako replied. “What, it was just a few weeks ago when you spent ten minutes psychoanalyzing me, right? Told me I wasn’t scary at all.”

Taako was clearly going somewhere with this, albeit the wrong place. Kravitz figured it would be faster just to let him. He sipped his tea.

“So I thought about it, and I thought, you know? It wouldn’t make sense to filch anything _now_ ,” Taako continued. “You’ll do it right before you stroll out the door. That’s what you did last time, right? You were leaving in the morning, so you pinched the rose the night before.”

“Ah. I see. You think I’m casing the place.”

“That’s it, my man.” Taako eyed him critically. “You’re rather unconcerned for having just been accused of being an aspiring burglar.”

Kravitz shrugged. “What do you want me to say? That I’m not doing that? Okay, Taako, I’m not casing your palace. I’m not planning anything. I’m not sure what else I can offer you here.”

“Hmm.” Taako tapped a claw against the side of his teacup idly. “See, the problem here is, my dude, that I don’t know you from Adam, right? Like, sure, you’ve been living here and cleaning my toilets and whatever for a couple of months, okay, but you’re still this enigmatic weirdo who stumbled into my castle one night. You can make jokes about leveling up our friendship or whatever, but I don’t see how that’s gonna happen when you know basically my entire life story, and I don’t even know where you _live_.”

Kravitz considered for a moment. He could understand the dilemma here, but that didn’t mean he had any good guess as to how to fix it. “...I have a house in Neverwinter,” he finally said.

“See, this is what I mean!” Taako retorted. “You love to give me these weird half answers that aren’t really answers. I say, ‘where do you live?’ and you say, ‘I have a house in Neverwinter.’ Great, homie! I could have a house in Rockport, but I certainly don’t live there, now do I!”

“I live in a house in Neverwinter,” Kravitz replied, rolling his eyes. “I don’t see how this will change your mind, but I suppose I could answer some questions.” This seemed like a silly way for Taako to justify interrogating him, but he wasn’t keen on being thrown out of the place either.

“That’s all I’m asking for,” Taako insisted. “Tell me about your family.”

“I...Taako, come on. Why do you need to know about my family?”

“Because I want to. I’m the one asking questions here, holmes. Come on. Fess up.”

Kravitz sighed. Everything Taako wanted to know about was far too complicated and sensitive for him to go into, but he supposed he should at least try. “All right. Well. I have a brother and a sister,” he said slowly. “I don’t see them that often, though.”

“Uh huh.” Taako didn’t even have the good graces to sound interested. “What about your grandparents or whatever bullshit you spewed before?”

“That’s...a _little_ personal, Taako.”

“You’re the one who brought it up, as I recall.”

It would have been easy to lie. It probably would have been _better_ to lie. But that rather went against the spirit of the thing, and Kravitz wasn’t opposed to having Taako trust him.

“I suppose. Look, I don’t...know the full story. My grandparents did raise me, like I said,” Kravitz replied, sighing a little and rubbing the back of his neck. “But I’m not – I have some reason to believe they might not _actually_ be my grandparents. That’s all. I never confronted them about it, and I figured it didn’t matter.”

“Huh. That sucks, dude,” Taako said, a small sliver of sympathy there behind his insensitive words. That was something, at least.

“Are we finished, then?” Kravitz asked.

“Nope, not quite yet. I got a few more for you.” Taako was sitting forward again, placing his teacup down on the desk in front of him. “Job.”

“I don’t – I mean, I’m _here_ , what do you think?”

“Before that, handsome. You talked about how you were a bard, but that wasn’t your job. So what’s your job? Or, uh, what was it, I guess?”

Another hard question. Kravitz rubbed the back of his neck, considering how best to answer. Again, he didn’t want to lie, but there were parts of this he _couldn’t_ answer. At least this was less of a personal thing.

“I’m...well, it’s complicated. There are a lot of things I can’t tell you. I guess you could say...I work with the militia?” he said after a moment.

“You’re a fucking fantasy cop?” Taako asked, making a face.

Kravitz had to laugh. “No, Taako, I’m not a fantasy cop. I don’t work on a city level.”

“Wait, so you’re _military?_ Like, under the Sterlings?” Taako asked, his ears flicked back against the side of his head now. “But you can’t tell me what you do...oh my god, are you a _spy?_ Did someone send you here to spy on me?”

“No! Of course not,” Kravitz said quickly. “I didn’t even know Glamour Springs existed until I accidentally found it. Trust me, I’m not here to spy on you. I came here because a job I _was_ on went south, and I ran into some trouble.”

“Hmm. Still sounds a little sketch, but I guess I can understand why a spy would need to lie about some stuff,” Taako decided. He poured himself a second cup of tea. “All right, one more question for you. If you weren’t casing the joint, then what _were_ you doing, poking around all over?”

“Oh. I was curious, mostly,” Kravitz replied. “And maybe a little bored. This is a very interesting castle you have here. Very...poetic.”

“Poetic?”

“Maybe that isn’t the word. It’s just...it’s all very interesting to me, from a storyteller’s perspective, I suppose,” he went on. “I like to walk the rooms and imagine what they looked like at their best, before all of this happened.”

“I’m glad my tragedy is so _poetic_ for you,” Taako grumbled.

Kravitz rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that and you know it,” he said. “Try this, let’s switch our positions. Imagine you’re in the woods, and you find this ghost town. You can’t tell me you wouldn’t be curious.”

“Curious? I guess. And then I’d steer fucking clear,” Taako retorted. “How do you know it wasn’t some terrible plague that wiped out the people?”

“Well, you can’t steer clear of the town. You’re being chased by wolves.”

“Unlikely. I’d just blast the wolves with my wizardly magicks.”

“Ah, you would, but you’re out of spell slots.”

“Why the fuck would I be out in the woods if I didn’t have any spell slots left?” Taako eyed him. “I don’t know if I trust you with my story. You’re real bad at this.”

Kravitz snorted. “Well, you’re the worst audience I’ve ever had.” He shifted forward in his seat, leaning an elbow against Taako’s desk and ignoring the way Taako reflexively drew back from him. “You have to admit it, Taako. Your story is interesting. Your castle is so empty that it feels haunted. It’s like being in a storybook.”

“This isn’t a fucking storybook, Krav,” Taako said, his voice surprisingly high and tight. “This is my _life_ , all right, and it’s not here for your _amusement_.”

Kravitz sat back, somewhat surprised by the outburst. Maybe he hadn’t been taking Taako’s concerns seriously. “All right,” he said. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll stop exploring the castle.”

Taako paused, as if caught off guard by the apology. He huffed and stared intently at something behind Kravitz. “It’s fine, I guess. I _did_ tell you to write this shit down like a story, so that one’s on Taako. And, fuck! This whole dealio feels like straight out of some shitty fairy tale, except one with a bad end ‘cause I sure as hell ain’t ever getting vanilla Taako, version 1.0, back, that’s for sure. So I guess I can’t _blame_ you.”

“You really don’t think there’s any to break the curse?”

“It’s been ten years, my guy. If I was gonna find the answer, I would have by now.”

Kravitz rubbed a hand over his jaw thoughtfully. “Maybe you just need a fresh set of eyes,” he said slowly.

Taako gave the impression of raising an eyebrow. “You offering to find a way to break the curse?” he asked. “You gonna fall in love with me and find out if that actually does the trick?”

Kravitz felt his face heat up at the jibe. “I – ”

“Don’t answer that,” Taako interrupted. “Look, thug, I’ll be real with you. I wanna trust that you weren’t gonna steal shit from me or whatever, but I know you’ve probably got like a +5 to deception. So, tell you what, you say that stuff you said before while under Merle’s truth zone, and you’re free to roam around wherever you want.”

It was a little disheartening to know Taako still didn’t trust Kravitz, but that wasn’t really any big surprise, Kravitz supposed. It would take more time than this to repair the trust he had broken early on.

“That seems fair,” he said.

Taako seemed pleased by this response. “Cool. Come back tomorrow, ‘round the same time. Just deliver the tea again, I guess.”

Kravitz smiled as he stood up, gathering the empty teacups back onto the cart. He now had the perfect opportunity to get back at Taako for embarrassing him earlier.

“It’s a date,” he replied, winking at Taako as he pushed the tea cart out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Hopefully this chapter isn't TOO much of a mess. While almost all of this fic was written originally in November for nanowrimo, this entire chapter was written, well, earlier this week to try and bridge some gaps. I guess we won't know if I was successful until later installments.
> 
> Taako has a -2 charisma modifier in monster form, so this really is his best attempt at getting to know Kravitz better.
> 
> I'd love a comment or a kudo, if you enjoyed reading! It really encourages me to keep working on this fic!
> 
> As usual, you can come find me elsewhere! I'd love to chat with you! Find me on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack).


	10. The Mirror Shows Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes have finally begun to mend their relationship. As the castle buckles down to endure the winter, it seems that things have finally settled down for a little while. All seems to be going well until a visitor shows up in the castle. The prince is not pleased by this development. The bard just wants to help.
> 
> Taako gets attached. Kravitz gets handsy. Lucretia gets in the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: There is vague mention of some graphic imagery in this chapter and also an instance of a character experiencing a disassociative episode.

It wasn’t strange for Davenport to have something to do after lunch that prevented him from delivering Taako’s afternoon tea. On those days, Ren would normally show up at the door pushing the tea cart. She didn’t like to stay and chat for long, but Taako often accompanied her back to the kitchen anyway.

However, the next time Davenport had business after lunch, it wasn’t Ren who showed up with the tea at all. It was Kravitz. And the time after that, it was him again. And...well, if Taako wanted to be honest with himself (which was _never_ a good idea, in his experience), he would have to admit that he didn’t mind that so much.

Kravitz was certainly easy on the eyes. And, in spite of their differences, he was just...nice to talk to sometimes.

The whole situation with the bard wandering through the castle had brought up an old fear in Taako. With their roles reversed, he would have been itching to steal everything out of a castle – even a shitty one. It had been a long time since he had wanted for much of anything, and the memories of his childhood were vague after a century. But he could remember what it was like to go to bed without dinner. Kravitz needed money; he had made that clear. Why shouldn’t he swipe something out of a castle?

Taako’s fears ended up unjustified, though. He wasn’t quite so naive as to trust Kravitz’ word blindly, but he hadn’t faltered under the Zone of Truth, nor had he seemed particularly offended about being forced to repeat himself under it.

And so, there was really no reason to further restrict Kravitz’ movement in the castle. Taako wasn’t _fond_ of the idea of Kravitz poking around the place, but he was also self-aware enough to realize that he would just look like a tyrannical asshole if he forbade Kravitz from wandering the place. Besides, Kravitz wasn’t doing any harm by being a nosy busybody, even if it was annoying.

Because that was what he was. There was merit to gossip, and Taako enjoyed it from time to time, but he’d never met a bigger gossip than Kravitz.

And Kravitz wasn’t just nosy about the palace. He used his dumb idea to tell Taako’s story as an excuse to ask intrusive questions and then smiled, all cute and apologetic, when Taako snapped at him for getting too personal. It was kind of infuriating. Taako normally didn’t mind talking about himself, at length, in great detail, but this was a little different, even if Kravitz somehow found ways to spin it into him doing Taako some sort of favor.

Taako didn’t really mind _too_ much. The companionship wasn’t bad.

That was a dangerous thought. Kravitz was leaving the castle in the spring. He had never intended to stay. Taako had known that from day one, and yet, here he was, enjoying tea with a quirky, gossipy bard who was making a list of potential ways to break the curse (which included, as of that morning, “Find a more powerful sorceress who happens to be mortal enemies with Lucretia???”). Taako’s vitriolic personality hadn’t driven him off yet, which was a problem.

Taako didn’t have anything to compel Kravitz to stay, not that he would _want_ him to in the first place. Everyone left eventually, so it was best not to have any strings attached when it came to relationships.

He did not _do_ relationships. Feelings were gross and dumb, and he was good out here, thanks.

He didn’t _care_ about Kravitz, beyond what was necessary for a disgraced prince to care about some vagabond who was taking shelter in his castle for the winter. He didn’t go out of his way to seek out Kravitz or anything. He hadn’t gone to the kitchen looking for Kravitz, certainly.

But whatever the reason, Kravitz was not in the kitchen when Taako arrived.

“Where’s Kravitz?” he asked, frowning at the strange quiet of the kitchen.

“I kicked him out,” Ren said, not looking up from her work. “He was getting in my way. I think he went outside to help Magnus with some work on the bridge.” She paused, shifting from foot to foot in a way that told him clearly that something else was going on.

“Yeah, and?” Taako persisted.

“Lucretia’s here to see you,” she admitted, not making eye contact. “Davenport brought her to your office.”

Taako’s mood turned sour instantly.

“What the fuck does she even want with me?” he growled.

Ren concentrated very hard on the potatoes she was skinning. She didn’t reply, of course. He was aware of how his rotten moods affected his servants. He also couldn’t quite bring himself to give a damn about it, at least not in the moment. He stalked back out into the royal dining room, slamming the door behind him.

He knew he should just go and get Lucretia’s visit out of the way. He didn’t care to give her the impression that her visits were important, but he knew from experience that she wasn’t leaving until she spoke with him. He may as well bite the bullet and get this over with, though he had a few things to do first.

It was obvious from the state of the castle, the continued emptiness of the town outside, and the pitiful amount of servants left that her plan had worked exactly as intended. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t look his best (as good as that ever got, these days) and pretend he was having a great time lording over a total of ten people.

He went up to his tower first and quickly changed into his second best dress, a long, dark red number with a large, ruffled skirt to hide his ungainly legs. It looked divine under his favorite cape, fully black save for the red and white diamond pattern along the edges. Or, at least he assumed his fashion sense was still good. It was hard to tell without a mirror.

His claws were currently painted a glossy pale blue, but he wasn’t taking the time to match them to his outfit. They were still sore from the last clipping, and Lucretia didn’t deserve _that_ level of dedication to the look.

He took a breath. Once upon a time, his clothes had been a sort of armor for him. He could control how he looked and how he was perceived, based on how he was dressed, how his makeup looked, how he walked. But now, this was just a sort of flimsy shield against a barrage from the most frightening enemy he had.

She wouldn’t be fooled by any of it. She never was. But it would have to do for now.

When Lucretia had worked in the palace, she had been bright and young, keen to do her job well and eager to please. She had worked as the wizard in charge of the library and had taken care of most of the magical necessities of the castle. Taako wouldn’t have said they had been that close back then, but he had definitely thought of her as a friend.

She had left before any of the real shit had gone down but after things had taken a definite turn for the worse. He didn’t know where she had gone or what had made her leave, apart from the growing political unrest in the city. But she was disappointed and angry when she returned to find the food crisis in full swing, and the way she had spoken to him did not at all remind him of the timid, mousy girl that she had once been.

She had aged in the past ten years, since the day Taako had decided, foolishly, to drive her from his castle once and for all. He didn’t know exactly what was normal for a human, but he had the idea that this was not normal.

Lucretia was sitting straight backed in a chair in Taako’s office when he pushed the door open and sauntered in. She had her legs crossed and was drinking tea out of his _favorite_ china. He glanced at Davenport, scowling. Davenport simply bowed and scampered out of the room to give them some privacy.

He stalked over to his desk and sat on the edge of it, facing her. “And what do _you_ want?” he asked sharply.

She shrugged, taking another sip of tea. “You cut your claws,” she remarked.

“Yeah, cha’boy needs a manicure once in a while,” he retorted. “Don’t tell me you came all this way to check out my nail job.”

“Hardly. It’s not _that_ good. Your cuticles are swollen.”

He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, they get all swollen when I cut them on account of the fact that there’s fuckin’ nerves in ‘em,” he replied. “Hurts like hell. But I’m sure you planned it that way on purpose.”

There was a flicker of something on her face, but it vanished before he could make out what it was.

“I came here for the normal reasons, Taako,” she said. “How are you doing?”

“You’re not my therapist,” he scowled. “And don’t call me that.”

“I see your new friend is still here,” she continued, ignoring him. “How much longer does he have on his sentence?”

“Why do you care?”

She said nothing, simply sipped at her tea and looked at him.

“I let him off early,” he finally spat. “Hazardous working conditions and all that. He’s sticking around now because I’m just so charming and lovable.”

“Is that so.”

“Don’t patronize me, Luce. This is your fault in the first place,” he growled. “Anyway, he’s trying to break the curse. It’s interesting for him, I guess. So far, his best solution is to try and figure out a way to take you out. Got any enemies?”

“Plenty,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “He’s trying to break the curse, is he?”

“Yup.”

“That’s thoughtful of him. I rather thought you had given up on breaking it,” she said. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, though, but getting rid of me wouldn’t actually fix your problem.”

“That’s what someone who didn’t want to die _would_ say,” he retorted.

“Fair.” She paused for another sip. “Did you try what I suggested?”

He groaned, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, sure, I’ll get right on finding some poor fucker with a bestiality fetish and bring him right on in,” he muttered. “That shit only happens in fairy tales, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed? But this is my _life_ you’re out here ruining.”

She pursed her lips. “It’s your own mess that you’ve gotten yourself into, Taako,” she said. “It’s up to you to get yourself out of it. I can’t help you if you don’t even try.

“True love’s the real fairy tale, thug. We all know that.”

“Hmm.” She was quiet for long moment, considering her now empty tea cup. “If that’s true, I suppose Kravitz won’t be able to break it after all. That’s a shame.”

Taako stared at her. Was she really implying what he thought she was? He wasn’t exactly the kind of person who got to find ‘true love,’ whatever the fuck that was supposed to be. And he certainly wasn’t going to find it like this – especially not from a handsome, smart guy like Kravitz.

“Well, you’re just full of shitty takes today, aren’t you,” he replied coldly. “Can we skip to the part where you give me money, I tell you to fuck off, and you leave me alone for another three months? I’ve got a schedule chock full of exciting and enriching personal projects to tend to today, and you’re decidedly not one of them.”

Lucretia eyed her empty tea cup and set it aside. “I suppose. Your salary is already in the coffers,” she stated, standing up and straightening her robes. “Please give Davenport my regards on the tea. He made an excellent blend today.”

“I sure won’t do that. Bye.”

He stared at her back as she stepped out of the office, neither bothered by his tone nor even vaguely intimidated by him. He _hated_ it. He hated that she felt the need to barge into his private life without permission and talk to him. She had already bested him in a wizard duel that had resulted in him being cursed, so she probably thought that he was no match for her.

If he hadn’t cut his claws, all it would take was one swipe, and she’d be poisoned the same as Kravitz and Hurley had been.

He shivered a little at the thought and tucked his hands under his armpits. Even the thought of using them on an enemy was abhorrent. He didn’t want to poison _anyone_.

She shut the door behind her, and he let out a breath he hadn’t be aware he was holding. He would give her another hour or so to leave, and then he’d check the treasury. It was annoying she went in there without asking, and he had certainly never asked for a ‘salary,’ or whatever she liked to call it. But money had stopped coming in from the capital after the poisoning incident, and while they were mostly self-sustaining, there were still only eleven people here. They couldn’t get everything that they needed on their own.

No one ever asked him where the money came from, and he never shared. He didn’t even know why she did it. He had entertained the thought for a while that she felt guilty about everything, but if that was the case, she could just lift the curse no problem.

He assumed he was supposed to be learning a lesson from all this. But what right did _she_ have to decide he had to grow as a person? What right did _anybody_ have?

Still angry, he kicked her chair over. It didn’t make him feel better, and it also knocked her teacup off of the end table, sending it to the floor hard enough to crack in spite of the carpet. He bit his tongue to keep from yelling about it – she had probably already heard the crash, and she didn’t need the satisfaction of hearing him curse too.

He paced around the office for a good hour, ignoring the broken cup and the way the last dredges of tea that had been left in the cup were staining the carpet. Then, deciding it had been long enough, he stalked out of the room and headed for his personal quarters. He had no interest in seeing anyone else today.

* * *

Taako stayed in his room until the following morning. He didn’t feel a whole lot less grumpy, but that probably had something to do with the fact that he had skipped dinner the day before. Lucretia had a way of ruining his appetite that way.

He dressed quickly, not caring much for looking good or particularly intimidating that morning and just dressing for warmth. Then he headed down the steps, scowling at all the unheated sections of the castle he had to go through to get to the dining room. It wasn’t practical to heat the entire castle, obviously, but he could see his breath as he descended from his tower. That was just plain bullshit, even if it made better financial sense.

He made his way to the dining room, only to find that it too was stone cold. That was unusual. Ren always lit the fireplace for him first thing in the morning to make sure it was warm by the time he made it down to eat. There was some warmth coming from the kitchen, but the fireplace hadn’t even been swept yet.

Odder still was the fact that he could smell something burning from the kitchen.

He shoved the door open quickly, fearing the worst. Instead of a kitchen fire, he found Magnus standing in front of the stove, where a fire was lit under a frying pan and the saddest, most overcooked pancake Taako had ever seen. It was smoking badly. Magnus was frantically stirring something in a mixing bowl and didn’t seem to notice.

“Maggie! What the fuck!” Taako snapped, grabbing the frying pan and pulling it away from the fire with a scowl. “You trying to burn down my goddamn castle? Where the fuck is Ren!?”

“Oh, shit! Is it burned?” Magnus asked, looking surprised.

“Yeah, dude, I’d say it’s fuckin’ burned,” Taako growled, grabbing a spatula to scrape the pancake remains out of the pan and into the garbage. “You can’t cook pancakes on a fire like _that_ , holmes! Where is Ren?”

“Sick in bed,” Magnus replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “Another headache. Sorry. I thought pancakes would be simple, but I’ve never made so many before...” He looked forlornly at a stack of pancakes, all weirdly shaped and either criminally underdone or slightly burned. “I ran out of batter, so I was making more, and I guess I forgot to flip it.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Taako groaned. “These are all bad. And you’ve ruined that batter.”

“Huh?”

“You can’t fuckin’ – forget it. It doesn’t matter. Make the rest of your goddamn pancakes, but for fuck’s sake, Mags, _turn the heat down_.”

“But they don’t cook as fast...”

The door from the servants’ dining room opened and Kravitz peeked his head in. “Is something burning?” he asked.

“Not anymore!” Taako scowled, holding up the frying pan.

“Oh. Good morning, Taako.”

“Not so good, my man. Who let this disaster of a human being take over for Ren?” Taako demanded, gesturing to Magnus with the spatula. “Doesn’t anyone else know how to cook?”

“Cap’n’port does, sure, but he’s too short to reach the burners,” Magnus explained. “They were made with bigger races in mind. Kinda racist, huh? Anyway, the only thing I’ve ever seen him make is pickle soup.”

“Do _you_ know how to cook?” Taako asked Kravitz.

Kravitz hesitated. “I can...make some toast?”

“Toast and pancakes. Wow, the perfect breakfast combination. Why have I never thought of that one?” Taako groused. “Forget it! I’ll make my own breakfast, when you chucklefucks are finished jerking off to your bad pancakes and plain toast in here. Will _somebody_ please come and clean and light my fireplace for me?”

Kravitz and Magnus shared a knowing glance, and Taako _hated_ it. They all knew Lucretia had been there yesterday, and they all knew he was going to be angry about that for a while. It was a typical song and dance, sure, but he did not need to be _handled_.

“Sure, Taako,” Kravitz said, stepping the rest of the way into the room. “I can take care of that for you.”

“I sure fucking hope you can,” Taako snapped. “It’s not arcane science.”

Kravitz didn’t say a word as he went to the cleaning closet and retrieved a broom. He exited into royal dining room. Taako, who couldn’t bear to watch Magnus destroy anymore perfectly good pancakes, followed him.

Kravitz had a very nice ass, and Taako had a very nice view of it as he swept. That was definitely not why he had followed Kravitz in there, though. He sat on his stool and folded his arms on the table and glared at the unlit fireplace.

“Can you maybe move a little faster?” he growled.

“I’d rather not risk a fire in here,” Kravitz replied, reasonably.

“Maybe I don’t care about fire risks,” Taako snarled. “Maybe we should just burn the whole fucking castle to the ground.”

“If you thought that, you wouldn’t have pulled the pancakes off the stove.”

“Don’t fucking try to explain my own actions to me. I’m – I’m multidimensional! I can make decisions that you didn’t think of!”

“All right,” Kravitz replied easily. “I won’t. But if you’re trying to, I don’t know, upset me? Intimidate me, maybe? Because you’re in a bad mood? It isn’t going to work, and I don’t deserve that.”

“You deserve what I say you deserve.”

“Do I? I’m not one of your servants you can bully around, Taako. I can leave whenever I want to.”

“Then why don’t you leave, huh?”

“I don’t want to.”

Taako paused, staring at Kravitz’ back as he disposed of the ashes and replaced them with fresh firewood. “Why not? I almost _killed_ you one time when I was mad.”

“I think we’ve both grown as people since then,” Kravitz replied. He glanced over his shoulder with a bit of a smirk. “Besides, you’re cute when you’re mad.”

Taako sputtered. Of all the things Kravitz could have said right there, that was one he certainly hadn’t anticipated. Cute? _Cute?_ Was Kravitz insane? Was he _actually_ that kind of weird fetishist Taako had just brought up to Lucretia? Was he _teasing_ Taako while Taako was pissed off?

Oh, hell. Taako was being teased, and he had fallen right into it.

Kravitz was now crouched down in front of the fireplace, humming a song to get the fire lit. He turned the flames to the exact shade of burgundy that Taako liked it. It was both satisfying and _incredibly_ annoying somehow.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” he sniffed after a long moment. “I was better off yelling at Magnus about his shitty pancakes.”

Kravitz straightened up and brushed the soot off of his hands. “Maybe for you, but not for him,” he replied.

“Oh, so you’re mitigating the damage now?” Taako snapped, annoyed at the idea. “I think I know what my servants can handle. Mags has worked here for twelve years, thug.”

“I’m not saying you don’t,” Kravitz replied, shrugging. “I just don’t think you really care about that right now.”

Taako opened his mouth to argue that...and then closed it again. Kravitz wasn’t wrong. Just yesterday, he had stormed out of the kitchen and slammed the door, even though he had known it would upset Ren. He _wanted_ to be angry at Kravitz too, wanted to lash out and make him wish he hadn’t opened his stupid, pretty mouth. But it wouldn’t work.

Kravitz was _handling_ him, just the way he had been mad about before.

He scowled. “I got the right to be grumpy sometimes.”

“Of course you do. I didn’t say otherwise. But you can be grumpy without being _mean_.”

Taako continued to sulk for a moment. He wasn’t even mad anymore, just...petulant. “Yeah, I’m not sifting through the specifics of that one right now. I’m hungry, and I want Ren pancakes,” he said, aware that he sounded like a particularly spoiled child.

“I think we all do,” Kravitz said, making a face in the general direction of the kitchen.

Taako folded his arms on the table and rested his chin on his arms miserably. “Go get me rubber pancakes and bad toast, then,” he mumbled. “And mix some cinnamon into the butter so it doesn’t just taste like ass toast.”

“Of course,” Kravitz replied, bowing slightly before disappearing back into the kitchen.

His food arrived a few minutes later. Magnus had drawn an angry smiley face on the pancakes in syrup, but it was a little hard to tell what it was by the time he got it. (“He messed up the eyes,” explained Kravitz.) The butter had cinnamon in it, but not enough. Still, the toast was hot enough to melt the butter, and with enough syrup, even bad pancakes could be tolerable. It was something.

Davenport came out while he was eating with a pot of his favorite tea and poured him a cup. It was oddly touching, the way everyone was trying to cheer him up. Normally, it would have pissed him off more, but maybe he was just too depressed to stay mad today. Eventually, Davenport collected his dishes and stoked the fire, and he just stayed where he was, feeling too mopey to actually do anything. Not that he had anything pressing to do.

Eventually, Kravitz came back in the room. He was wearing an apron and had his sleeves pushed up to his elbows.

“Are you still sulking?” he asked. “It’s nearly lunchtime.”

“Leave me alone, I’m brooding,” Taako said, his voice muffled in his arms.

“Okay, but it’s nearly lunchtime,” Kravitz repeated. “Breakfast was kind of a disaster, so I told Magnus he was off the hook for lunch. But it seems like there’s only one person here besides Ren who knows how to cook.”

“I can’t cook. You know that,” Taako groaned.

“We are going to starve today if you don’t save us, Taako.”

Taako rolled his eyes and pulled himself up from where he was flopped on the table. “Didja forget about the deadly poison in my fingers?” he asked, holding up his hands and making little clawing motions. “Don’t really feel like poisoning anyone today, my dude.”

“Okay, but what if I had a solution for you?” Kravitz asked.

“Can’t cook with mage hands,” Taako said before Kravitz could go on. “Not fine enough motor control, and mixing magic with food is just where I went wrong last time anyway.”

Kravitz held up his hands. “What about these?”

Taako narrowed his eyes at him. “What are you proposing here, thug? Some possession bullshit? You want I should magic jar your ass?” he asked.

“No,” Kravitz said, laughing. “I was thinking you could tell me what to do and I would do it.”

“Oh.” Taako paused. “I guess that is simpler.”

Kravitz was still laughing. “You up to it? We gotta get started if we’re doing this.”

“‘Course I’m up to it,” Taako sniffed, standing up and following him into the kitchen. “You should be asking yourself if _you’re_ up to it. Can you keep up with Taako? Not likely. I’ve got almost a century more experience than you do, hot stuff.”

Kravitz smiled and tossed him an apron. “Suit up. We’ve got work to do.”

Taako didn’t enjoy the feeling of wearing the apron, and it was a bit of work getting it tied around his waist, since his sore fingers lacked the dexterity necessary, but he managed to get a loose bow. The apron didn’t hang right because it wasn’t designed for a weird, gangly monster body. That was all right, though; he wasn’t figuring on getting too dirty.

He crept around the kitchen, checking supplies and doing mental calculations. “So is toast the extent of your current cooking ability?” he asked.

“No. I have some basic meat cooking experience, but I’m admittedly used to campfires and not...you know. Stoves and things,” Kravitz replied. “I’ve put together a fairly decent stir fry before. But I don’t typically do the cooking at home.”

“So we’re going hella simple, got it,” Taako replied. “All right, bubbeleh, we’re going to start small. We’ve got a shit ton of potatoes, and so we’re gonna use ‘em for a nice creamy soup. First, I want you to find some veggies – onions, carrots, celery, that sort of shit. And potatoes, obvs. And then you’re gonna dice those puppies up.”

He carefully talked Kravitz through each step, from dicing up the veggies to measuring out the chicken stock to whisking the flour and butter together with the milk to mixing it all together with some sour cream. He had Kravitz add chives, fry up some bacon, and shred some cheddar for the toppings. Within the hour, the kitchen smelled divine, and he was giving Kravitz a crash course on seasoning.

“And now it’s time for the final exam,” Taako announced, retrieving a wooden spoon. He dipped it into the thick, creamy soup and stirred a little. The consistency was good. He brought the spoon up to his mouth and gave it a try. “Hmm.”

“How is it?” Kravitz asked, wiping his hands on his apron. “Is it all right?”

“Hmmm...”

“Taako, please, the suspense is killing me.”

Taako licked a little more off the spoon and frowned. “Eh,” he said. “Not bad for a first try. Maybe a B-?”

“Oh.” Kravitz’ shoulders fell a little.

“Or a B, I guess. You added too much salt, and the consistency isn’t _perfect_ , but it’ll do for this lot,” Taako replied, feeling _just_ a little guilty.

“Well, it would have been an F without your help, that’s for certain,” Kravitz said. “I didn’t even know what a whisk was before we started.”

“What the fuck do they teach you in schools these days?” Taako asked, horrified.

“Math, mostly,” Kravitz snorted, amused.

“Sacrilege. Not even Home Ec?”

“Did you even _go_ to school?”

“Sure, for a couple of years. We didn’t move into the castle until we were, what, twelve? I wouldn’t say I had a well rounded education or nothing, but Auntie made me go to school for a couple of years before my mom took me to the castle.” Taako shrugged. “Stop distracting me and start serving up that soup. I’ll gather everybody up.”

That proved to be easier than he had anticipated. Nearly everyone was already in the dining area already, speaking in low voices and apparently having some sort of about the delicious smells wafting out of the kitchen. They all quieted right down when they saw Taako standing there, still wearing his apron, propping the door open for Kravitz.

“Hi, Taako,” said Hurley, cautiously.

“What are you assholes all standing around in here for?” Taako demanded, scowling. “It’s lunchtime. Come get your food.”

“Um,” said Magnus. “It smells real good, Taako. Did you...cook lunch...?”

Oh, so there was the problem. Taako rolled his eyes and unfastened his apron. “No. Krav did,” he replied, slipping it over his head. “I was moral support. Krav! They’re all in here. You can start bringing shit out.”

The others didn’t necessarily seem to think this was much better, but after the nasty ass toast from that morning, Taako didn’t blame them. Maybe dying of poison was better than eating bad cooking. It was hard to say. Kravitz carried out the entire large pot of soup rather than dishing it out in the kitchen, like Ren usually did, and he set it out on one end of the table.

“Dig in,” he said, gesturing theatrically at the pot. He didn’t mention Taako’s role in the making of lunch, but Taako didn’t bring it up either. He wanted to know if everyone else liked it.

He waited for everyone to go through and get themselves a bowl of soup. Davenport dished an extra bowl for Taako and made to bring it into the royal dining room, but Taako stopped him. “It’s all good, Cap. Taako’s gonna eat in here with the rest of the rabble today,” he said.

This got a couple of raised eyebrows. “What? I wanna see how you all like Krav’s cooking,” he said defensively.

Kravitz gave him a secretive little smile. Taako didn’t really know what he had done to deserve that. He would take it anyway. He sort of wanted to take credit for lunch, since it was pretty good, but it seemed kind of like Kravitz was planning something.

“I’m going to take a bowl to Ren,” he announced after dishing two bowls. “You all can go ahead and start without me if you’d like.”

The table was too cramped for Taako’s liking, so he stood in the corner of the room near the door and started on his soup there. It really was pretty good. He had given Kravitz a hard time about it in the kitchen, but, considering how little experience with cooking he had, it had turned out pretty damn decent. Taako was a good teacher.

“Well,” Merle announced when Kravitz returned a few minutes later, “it ain’t Ren’s cooking, but not bad, kid.”

“Not bad? It’s _good_ ,” Killian replied.

“Would have been better with fresh bread,” Taako commented, preening a little. “But he didn’t have time to bake any.” Ren baked bread daily, as a general rule, and there wasn’t any leftover from yesterday. He had checked.

“Aw dang, you’re right,” Magnus said sadly. “But it’s good _without_ bread too. Kravitz, are you gonna make us dinner too?”

“We’ll see,” Kravitz said, amused. “Well, Taako? Do you still think it’s only a B?”

Taako laughed before he could stop himself. “I dunno, dude. Maybe a B+, if I was feeling real generous,” he said.

“ _I_ think it’s an A,” Julia said. “It’s very good, Kravitz. Ren might have made an A+, but that doesn’t mean you’re bad at cooking either. Where did you get the recipe? I had the idea you didn’t know how to cook for some reason.”

“Taako taught me,” Kravitz explained. “He’s actually responsible for this. If it isn’t as good as his usual fare, it’s only because I haven’t a goddamn clue what I’m doing.”

Magnus got a faraway look on his face. “Taako’s cooking was so _good_ ,” he murmured. There was a general consensus around the table. Taako had cooked for everyone pretty regularly back in the day. It was something he was good at, and it was something he had enjoyed.

He wasn’t sure how he felt about the praise. Kravitz had gone through all the effort, but it was Taako’s advice and his shortcuts and his recipe that had made the meal what it was. It had taken extended effort not to cut in and take over for Kravitz more than once. And really, he _missed_ this. He lived for praise and positive feedback like this, and even if he was getting it secondhand, it was still nice to hear. Nobody ate his cooking anymore, on the off chance he actually did any.

It made him want to desperately go in there and make dinner for everyone, but...he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t even manage doing it before he had the form of a venomous monster. Every time he thought about it too long, all he could see were all those people filling the banquet hall. He still remembered vividly when the first person had gotten sick, doubling over as he tried to run from the hallway, retching blood right there on the floor...

“Taako?”

Taako blinked. Lunch was about over. The servants were clearing the table while chatting amicably amongst themselves. Kravitz was standing in front of him, holding his hand out.

“Huh?” he said, blinking. Had he zoned out that badly?

“I was going to take your bowl, if you were done. Are you all right?”

“Peachy,” he said. He shoved the bowl into Kravitz’ hands, careful not to actually touch him, and made his escape into the kitchen.

The door was still propped open from earlier. He listened to the conversation outside, hoping none of it was centered on him. Concentrating on the words helped ground him a little, even if they were still talking about food, and Kravitz was visible just outside the doorway, so the view wasn’t bad either.

“You two gonna make us dinner too?” Carey was asking.

“I don’t know. We’ll see what he wants to do,” Kravitz replied. “I couldn’t find and recipe books when I looked earlier, but Ren can’t just keep all that knowledge inside her head, can she?”

“Oh, she does,” Julia sighed. “I’ve been trying to get her to teach me to cook for a while now, or at least look at her recipes, and she claims she doesn’t _have_ any. So if you can’t find any books, I’m sure there aren’t any.”

“She could make a fortune if she wrote them down and sold a book,” Carey said.

“Well, if I’m in charge of dinner, then I’m not doing dishes,” Kravitz announced. “Sloane, you’re on dish duty.”

“What? Why me?” Sloane protested.

“Because I know your secret, and I’m blackmailing you.”

Taako’s ears pricked upwards. Now this was worth eavesdropping for.

“I don’t have any secrets that I could be blackmailed for!”

Hurley laughed, maybe a little too loudly.

Kravitz just held up a spoon and raised an eyebrow.

There was a pause. “...fine,” Sloane said indignantly.

Taako was impressed that that had worked, even though he had no idea what Sloane was doing with his spoons. Actually, that was going to bother him now.

Kravitz returned to the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying a stack of dirty dishes. “Hey,” he said pleasantly, as if he hadn’t apparently just threatened someone with a spoon. “They want to know if we’re going to be up for dinner tonight.”

“I don’t know,” said Taako. “What is Sloane doing to my spoons?”

“As long as she does the dishes, I can’t tell you,” Kravitz replied. “If I do, she just won’t do the dishes, and I’ll be back at square one.”

Taako gave him a long stare. Kravitz didn’t even flinch. Whatever was going on seemed like some silly bullshit. Sloane was a decent worker, but she was wily enough that he’d never get an answer out of her. Maybe he’d interrogate Hurley about it later.

Kravitz deposited the dishes next to the sink and headed toward the royal dining room. Taako trailed after him, not really wanting to stay near the food at the moment.

“Lunch went well,” Kravitz said as he went to tend to the fireplace. “Everyone liked your food.”

“Wasn’t my food,” Taako insisted quickly. “It was yours.”

“Okay, yeah, I made it,” Kravitz replied, probably picking up on the anxiety still lingering in Taako’s mood. “Thank you for the help.”

“Maybe I’ll scribble out a recipe or some shit for you for dinner,” Taako said, settling at the table to watch Kravitz poke around with the fire.

“Was it too much?” Kravitz asked, glancing back at him.

“...maybe,” he replied, gloomily. “I don’t know. It’s stupid. Been more than ten years, you know? And when we were in the kitchen, it was actually kind of fun. But then I watched them eat it, and I kept thinking about everybody getting sick.”

Kravitz stayed quiet for a moment. “But nobody got sick this time, Taako.”

“I know.” He took a deep breath. “But I don’t think I’m ready to do dinner. Sorry.”

“It’s all right. We’ll manage. Maybe I’ll have Davenport teach me to make pickle soup,” Kravitz said, smiling a little.

“Two soups in one day? Bad.” Davenport’s pickle soup _was_ good, though.

“It’s cold and nasty outside. Ideal soup weather.” Kravitz put the fire poker back in its place and rounded the table so that he was next to Taako. He leaned back against the table. “Soup’s a good comfort food for when you’re feeling shitty, right?”

“Guess so.”

“So it works out. Taako...”

Taako glanced up. He was half annoyed already, because there was nothing worse than pity from an outsider, _particularly_ from a commoner. He had had a rough beginning, it was true, but he’d escaped that life and made a name for himself. What had happened to him had happened. It wasn’t like he hadn’t made any mistakes on the way up, after all. He didn’t need _pity_.

But the look on Kravitz’ face was more pensive than anything. He seemed to be considering something.

“Do you think it would be okay for me to, um, pat you on the shoulder or something? On top of the three shirts you’re wearing?” he asked after a moment of silence.

Taako stiffened and leaned away a little.

“Okay. I won’t, then,” Kravitz said easily, holding up his hands. Taako relaxed minutely. “I just...you know, you’ve had a real rotten couple of days, and I thought maybe a little shoulder rub would make you feel a little better is all.”

“It wouldn’t,” Taako snapped, a little more harshly than he meant to. He wasn’t _angry_ at Kravitz; if anything, he was glad to have this communication with him.

“Yeah, I see that,” Kravitz said. “Hmm. I have another idea. How about...”

He hummed a little tune under his breath, and a translucent glowing blue mage hand appeared in the air in front of him. “How about this?” he asked.

Taako watched the hand for a moment, his eyes narrowed. It was magic. It wasn’t a real anything. It couldn’t get poisoned, on the off chance that someone could get poisoned from skin contact from beneath three layers. It also felt sort of vaguely impersonal and useless.

Whatever. If it made Kravitz feel better, maybe it was worth it to get him to stop asking.

“...fine. On my shoulder only.”

Kravitz hummed again, and then he started singing quietly under his breath. The mage hand landed gracefully on Taako’s shoulder. The sensation made him stiffen automatically, but he forced his shoulders into a more relaxed position. The mage hand stayed still on his shoulder, as if Kravitz just wanted him to get used to the feeling.

“So, uh, do you always sing to do your magic?” he asked, trying to distract himself.

“It’s usually the most convenient,” Kravitz replied, “but singing isn’t really my strongest suit. If I wanted to do something powerful or precise, I’d normally use a fiddle or a guitar. I have a wonderful old fiddle back home with its own magic properties...ah well. Singing is fine for a servant’s work, at any rate.”

“Don’t you need some sort of arcane focus or something?” Taako asked. “A wand or a staff or some shit?”

“I have a focus, but it’s not for casting.” Kravitz smiled and tapped his ear, at the small golden skull earring that, now that Taako thought about, he had ever seen Kravitz without. It was small and somewhat unremarkable, definitely something Taako would have never suspected to be a magical item. Very smart, he realized.

“Huh,” he said. “That’s...pretty clever. I wonder if my ears are still pierced?” He reached up and felt along the edges of his ears.

“You had a lot of earrings before?” Kravitz asked.

“Oh, hell yeah, homie. Taako was covered in jewels constantly.”

“Sounds lovely,” Kravitz said, smiling.

Taako gave him a hesitant smile back and then realized something. The hand on his shoulder had begun to move, just slightly, applying the barest amount of pressure. It felt...pretty nice, actually. Or, it had until he noticed it.

His face must have given something away. The hand stopped. “Had enough?”

“Yeah,” he admitted. “But it was...it was okay.”

“Cool.” Kravitz graced him with a rather self-satisfied smile. It melted some of the anxiety in Taako’s chest and turned it to vague annoyance, as though he was being teased. Maybe he was.

“Now,” Kravitz continued, standing up straight and unfolding his arms from over his chest, “I’m going to find some paper and a pen, and you’re going to write down the simplest non-soup recipe you can think of. They’re going to be expecting way too much out of me for dinner now.”

That was something Taako could handle. Things had been rough since Lucretia’s visit and he hadn’t been able to pay attention to a lot of his attention sucking activities. But writing down a simple recipe? Having to remember that he was writing it for someone who didn’t know shit about kitchen utensils?

Well. That sounded almost doable.

“Yeah,” he said, hoping his silent ‘thank you’ came through as he looked up at Kravitz. “Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you are all keeping safe and healthy in this weird time we're living in, and I hope that my story can offer you a little bit of an escape from reality, even if only for a little while. I know working on it helps me personally to focus on other things, and I can only hope it does the same for you.
> 
> If you enjoyed this story, I would so appreciate a comment or a kudo. All your kind words mean so much to me and really help inspire me to keep on going. Also, I LOVE speculation and theories. They help me figure out if I'm being to obtuse or liberal with my foreshadowing. So please feel free to share.
> 
> If you'd like to hang out elsewhere, you can find me on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). I'd love to chat!


	11. Song As Old As Rhyme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the end of winter comes the promise of spring...and the bard's departure from the palace. The bard's relationship with the prince is an open ended question, and neither of them seem quite capable of finding the answer. And so, the prince decides to give the bard a gift before he goes.
> 
> Taako learns to share. Kravitz fails to elaborate. Merle mentions his ex.

“So that,” Sloane said, gesturing widely with the hand that was not curled around her steaming cup of hot cocoa, “was the _third_ time Hurley ‘accidentally’ let me off the hook.”

“That’s not true,” Hurley insisted, casting her wife a dour look.

The lot of them were huddled in the servants’ dining room, basking in the leftover heat from the kitchen and enjoying hot drinks to stave off the winter cold. The long winter nights were growing steadily shorter as spring approached, but the winter was a nasty one, and frequent storms encased the castle in snow and froze the doors shut.

It could be a little hard to maintain enthusiasm and good cheer when the magical heaters would sometimes give out from overwork in the middle of the night, or when one’s daily chores included chipping ice off of the outside doors, or when the snow blew over the windows and whited them out completely.

But the servants often gathered together like this in the evening, sharing warm drinks and fun stories, and it was something to look forward to. Kravitz enjoyed these stories greatly.

“Just because they only caught you doing it once doesn’t mean it didn’t happen before that point,” Sloane replied, laughing. “Fortunately, she’s a bit of a kiss up – ”

“ – if by that you mean _good at my job_ – ”

“ – and got sent to Nowheresville instead of fired – ”

“ – it was a _reassignment_ because Glamour Springs needed military trained guards to protect the prince – ”

“ – and I came along and got a job in the castle because I’m a good wife.”

“ – because you’re wanted in Goldcliffe, you mean, and the _rest_ of the city guard isn’t just going to let you get away with it.”

Kravitz laughed, delighted by the story. He was sure it was at _least_ a little put on for his benefit, but he didn’t mind at all. Sloane wasn’t capable of telling a story without embellishing a few things here and there.

“All right, so how did you two meet?” he asked, turning to Magnus and Julia.

“Oh, it wasn’t all _that_ interesting,” Julia assured him. “We didn’t turn to a life of crime until _after_ we got married.”

Magnus laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, uh, I apprenticed under her dad and just made a _huge_ fool of myself every time I saw her for the first month...”

“...year,” Julia corrected, patting his arm and grinning.

“...year,” Magnus agreed, laughing and squeezing her hand.

It was all very domestic and sweet. Sometimes, it was hard to picture these two as the founding members of the revolution that had ultimately ended with the destruction of their home. But Kravitz had seen Julia angry before, and he was aware of the devotion Magnus had for his wife and for justice. They both had very noble spirits.

“Me and Carey went to grade school together,” Killian put in. “Kinda boring.”

“Ah, but you forgot to include the fact that you dated my _brother_ for three months,” Carey said dryly.

Killian groaned. “I was twelve and didn’t know I was gay!” she protested.

Kravitz laughed. “I’ll bet that makes for awkward family gatherings.”

“Well, Jeremy’s married now,” Carey said. “And he can’t shut up about how much he loooooves his wife.”

“That’s because you never shut up about how much you love your wife,” Killian pointed out.

“How could I? She’s super hot,” Carey replied, grinning.

“Gross,” said Magnus, laughing.

“I met my ex-wife the night before our wedding,” Merle commented. “You can guess how well that went, considering she’s my ex-wife.”

“So,” Sloane put in, leaning forward in her seat as she looked Kravitz in the eye. “What’s the deal with you and Taako, hmmm? You workin’ on breaking that curse?”

“Excuse me?” Kravitz asked, blinking innocently.

“Oh man, you’ll have a _great_ first meeting story to tell people,” Carey realized.

Kravitz sipped his hot cocoa calmly. “We’re not dating.”

Magnus and Julia shared a conspiratorial glance that Kravitz could not quite interpret, but neither of them said anything.

“Aw, not even a blush? An embarrassed titter?” Hurley sighed. “Ah well. Hey, have I ever told you guys the story of the first time Sloane met my parents?”

Kravitz was aware, keenly, that the others’ hopes of Taako’s curse ending were on him. It was a little uncomfortable, sometimes. But they were quite careful to do nothing but give him a little gentle ribbing from time to time. It wasn’t their fault. The very nature of how to break the curse made the entire relationship a little...difficult.

But whatever their relationship was, they weren’t dating. Kravitz was certain of that much. He _liked_ Taako and he was pretty sure Taako liked him, but Taako didn’t seem to be in a very good place for a relationship. Kravitz could respect that. If he was being honest with himself, relationships in general weren’t a great idea for someone in his line of work. There were exceptions, of course, but work made things...difficult sometimes.

If he had had a partner before this whole thing had started, after all, that partner wouldn’t know where he was or if he was even alive. His family was already incredibly worried, no doubt; he couldn’t imagine putting that kind of stress on a lover.

The others chattered on about relationships with occasional jabs at Kravitz to try to get him to spill the beans about his relationship with Taako, and Kravitz calmly deflected each question. There was really nothing to tell, after all.

* * *

The winter lingered that year, the snow lasting longer and deeper than normal as springtime neared. It seemed to drag on for weeks and weeks, until finally, _finally_ , the sun peaked its head over the clouds and the snow started to melt.

It still wasn’t _warm_ by any means, but Carey had gone through the entire lower level of the castle and opened all the curtains, letting the sunshine spill inside. It was a wonderful feeling, even if everyone was still bundled up in multiple layers, and they still had to be careful to ration the firewood in case of late storm. Everybody seemed to be in a good mood.

Even Taako was in high spirits. He had seemed annoyed at first to find the curtains thrown wide open in his study. But when Kravitz had brought him his tea that afternoon, he found the prince standing in front of the floor to ceiling windows and looking out over the forest nearby. The sunlight glittered off the melting snow, making the room so bright it almost hurt to look at.

Only Taako stood out in the brightness. He had ditched his typical dark colors for pale blues and soft golds in honor of the sunlight, but the parts of his body that were visible remained that unnerving pitch black so deep and consuming that it almost seemed to suck the brightness right into it. Light didn’t reflect off his body at all.

Kravitz was used to that, sort of – firelight was the same way. The effect was more profound in the sunlight. It wasn’t bad, per se, just...a little unsettling, he supposed.

He may have admired the effect for too long because Taako turned around, raising his brow slightly. “Enjoying the view?” he asked sarcastically.

“Yes,” Kravitz replied, giving him a little grin. Taako’s ears twitched, which meant he was pleased, even if nothing else on his face showed it.

“Snow’s real nice in the sun,” Taako said deliberately.

“Oh, I suppose. I hadn’t noticed,” Kravitz said, noting another little twitch. “I brought tea.”

Taako settled at his desk, and Kravitz poured two cups of tea before pulling up his usual chair and sitting down across from him. Taako sipped his tea, pausing with the teacup near his mouth and considering the flavor. Kravitz waited for the inevitable comment.

“Did Davenport brew this?” Taako asked finally. “Or are you finally learning how to properly steep a pot of tea?”

“It’s good?” Kravitz asked, brightening. There was literally no one in Faerun as picky about his tea as Taako.

“It’s _okay_ ,” Taako replied. “Acceptable, I guess. You’re getting better, though.”

“In that case, Davenport brewed it.”

Taako laughed, loud and bright. In spite of the strange echo effect his voice had, it was quite a beautiful sound to hear.

They sat for a few moments, chatting amicably about the weather and palace gossip while sipping their tea. Taako had a glint in his eye for the entire talk, something Kravitz couldn’t quite read. It was a little frustrating, if he was being honest. Kravitz prided himself on being able to read Taako’s moods.

Once the tea was gone, Taako all but sprang up from his chair. “All right. Forget the teapot, my dude. I got a thing I wanna do,” he said. “Come with?”

“Um,” Kravitz said. “Sure.”

He had been aware, over the past few weeks, of something going on in one of the upstairs rooms, something he was not privy to. He hadn’t really been all that interested in whatever it was, but recently, it became clear that all whispering about it ceased when he entered a room. Hearing about it had been incidental to start with, but he would have thought nothing of it if Magnus hadn’t completely shut up every time he walked into a room for the past month.

He had a feeling he was about to find out what exactly was going on.

“It’s not my birthday,” he said, getting up from his chair. “So if you’re planning a surprise party for me or something, um, that’s nice, but...”

“It’s not a surprise party, you nerd,” Taako said, affectionately. “It’s just a...regular surprise.”

There was an air of nervousness in Taako’s movements. His ears pointed straight up to the ceiling. He was excited but worried.

“It’s going to be spring soon,” he said as he led Kravitz from the room. “I figure you probably aren’t staying much longer. So I, uh, I wanted to do something nice for you. You know, before you take off and all that.”

Kravitz didn’t reply right away. Taako wasn’t wrong; the itch to get out of here and go back to his family waiting for him was stronger than ever with the improvement of the weather. As much as he cared about Taako and the rest of the people here in this little castle, he did still have a life on the outside. As to how safe it was for him outside at this point, he had no way of knowing except by leaving. But his family deserved some answers. They probably thought he was dead by now.

Instead of using words to reply, he whistled a short tune and summoned a mage hand. By this point, Taako had grown accustomed to having a mage hand on his shoulder. Kravitz liked to think it comforted him from time to him, although Taako said one way or the other. He didn’t stop Kravitz from doing it, at least.

This time, however, when he saw Kravitz’ glowing blue mage hand, he pulled out his wand. He flicked it once, summoning his own mage hand. Kravitz had to smile when Taako’s pink mage hand gently clasped his own.

Maybe they couldn’t hold hands the conventional way, but this was nice too.

Kravitz didn’t really know what Taako thought of him. They were friends, almost certainly. But Taako didn’t spend his tea time with anyone else if he could help it. He didn’t invite most of the others to join him in his royal dining room for dinner every so often.

But they didn’t talk about it either. What was there to talk about? They both knew Kravitz wasn’t staying in the palace indefinitely. True love _sounded_ nice on paper, and Kravitz thought maybe Taako was someone he _could_ fall in love with. But he didn’t love Taako now.

If he stayed, could he break Taako’s curse? It was an appealing thought in some ways. Even if the ‘true love’ mentioned in the curse was a code for something else, or just a straight up myth – he wanted to break the curse anyway. He wanted to meet the proud, beautiful elf that he knew Taako really was.

But staying wasn’t really an option. Not for good, at least. Not right now. He was _technically_ in the middle of a job, and his family hadn’t heard from him in so long…

Taako had led him back to the entrance hall and then up the stairwell leading to the higher stories. Kravitz’ exploration hadn’t really covered most of the second floor. Nothing higher than the bottom story had any heat at all, and the upper stories did not have the benefit of being insulated by snow. They were even colder than the ground floor. Many of the doors up there were locked too, although Kravitz hadn’t gotten far when he had poked around.

“Where are we going?” he asked, bewildered, as they rounded to the side of the fancy balcony above the entrance hall. From here, he could see how filthy everything had become. Cobwebs hung from the sconces and there was a layer of dirt on every surface. It was cold enough up here that he was shivering and rubbing his arms as they walked.

“You’ll see. It’s right through here.” Taako sounded nervous again, and his mage hand reflexively squeezed Kravitz’. He unlocked the door at the edge of the balcony, leading into a room almost directly above Taako’s study.

Kravitz’ breath caught in his throat as Taako opened the door and they stepped inside. “Oh,” he said quietly.

The room was much larger than he had expected it to be. The ceiling was vaulted, probably two stories high. The walls were paneled in a dark mahogany wood and lined on one side with massive windows overlooking the woods beyond the castle. Giant marbled pillars split the windows in a few places and continued into arches that reached across the ceiling. Three large crystal chandeliers dangled from the ceiling, clearly designed to catch the sunlight from the huge windows.

The floor was made from the same lovely mahogany colored wood, although neglect had left it filthy and dull. In the center of the room was a long, narrow red carpet leading from the door to the lifted floor at the far end. The carpet was faded from the constant barrage of sunlight from the uncovered windows. On either side were long wooden benches that curved around the platform at the far end of the room in a semicircle. At first glance, it appeared to be some sort of a small theatre.

Everything was as dusty and dirty as most other unused areas of the castle, but someone had put in the effort of trying to clean up certain areas of it. It was too big to clean without some serious effort and completely impractical to heat. So instead, whoever had cleaned it had chosen a specific section of the room to tidy, and there was a small magical furnace moved into the room to warm that one specific space.

Most of these details were taken in secondarily, though, because the far end of the room – the area that had been cleaned – revealed the room’s original purpose.

Set up on a little stage-like platform were rows of instruments. There was everything from the delicate flute to a heavy tuba, from the double bass to a xylophone. A beautiful grand piano stood off to one side. There were even some instruments that Kravitz didn’t recognize. Most of the instruments were old and tarnished, many with cobwebs and dust covering them. But the piano had been cleaned recently, and there, in the front row, there was a beautiful violin, delicately carved from a dark cherry wood, and a matching bow.

Kravitz laughed, jogging toward the instruments. “You never told me you had a _music hall_ , you jerk!” he called. The hall, of course, had perfect acoustics.

Taako trailed after him, grinning from ear to ear. “It wasn’t much to look at when you first got here,” he admitted. “Some of us play, but it wasn’t worth keeping the entire hall maintained. So, uh, you...like it?”

Kravitz ran his hands over the piano keys. “Taako, I _love_ it.”

“Yeah. Natch. Cause ya boy knows how to treat you,” Taako blustered. His ears were flicking happily again.

“Is this...” Kravitz stopped by the violin. It was even more beautiful close up. The body was covered in intricately carved roses, delicate and thin as to not disrupt the sound. He ran a finger down the neck appreciatively. “Can I play this?”

“Course you can fucking play it, darling,” Taako snorted. “Me and Maggie spent hours trying to refurbish that damn thing. I’d be offended if you _don’t_ play it.”

Kravitz smiled widely, lifting the violin and resting it against his collarbone. He was rusty. He hadn’t played in so long, but…

He closed his eyes and touched the bow to the strings.

The tone was exquisite, the strings perfectly tuned. The notes he played rang beautifully through the hall, loud and clear. It was invigorating. He began to play something quick and jaunty, but he stopped prematurely. No. That wasn’t what he wanted right now.

He started over. The melody he played was meant to be a duet, meant to be played on a deeper instrument than a violin. The tune was somewhat slower than the little melody he had played first, with a touch of melancholy and written in a minor key. He did not know what Taako would think of this, half of a quiet, somber tune meant for two to play together, but he knew the emotion he was pouring into it.

There was regret there, in the motion of the bow against the strings. Regret that he was leaving when the weather cleared, regret to leave behind all the friends he had made here. Regret that he was leaving without solving the riddle of the curse. He could – he _would_ – come back, of course. He’d never just leave Taako here. Taako deserved better than to be forgotten in this dusty old castle as it slowly succumbed to grime and rot.

Taako deserved much more than that. Much more than Kravitz could offer.

The melody was incomplete, but Taako had said he had played piano. Maybe someday, when his hands were hands again, he would play the other half of the song with Kravitz.

He finished the song. His heart felt full to bursting with emotion as he carefully set the violin back in its rest. The room was perfectly silent. The sunlight fell over both of them, feeling warm and empty at the same time.

“Taako,” he managed, looking up finally, “it’s perfect. I love it. _Thank_ you.”

Taako was crouched on his haunches, watching Kravitz intently. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze was sharp. “It’s yours,” he said, and there was a touch of regret in his voice.

“What?” Kravitz asked, surprised. He stared at the exquisite instrument in its rest at his feet, at the beautiful craftsmanship that had gone into the carving. It had to be worth a fortune. This was customized, one of a kind. Priceless.

It had to belong to someone. Even princes didn’t have personalized instruments like this one unless they planned to use them themselves.

“Taako, I...I can’t take this,” he said slowly. He wanted to, with all his heart, but he knew, without a doubt, that it should not leave this castle.

Taako didn’t reply. He shook his head and straightened up again.

“I’ll need something to play when I’m here, Taako,” Kravitz said placatingly.

Taako gave him a calculating look, tilting his head to the side. “Piano’s right there, dingus,” he said.

Kravitz laughed. “Okay, good point, but I _do_ have an old fiddle at home. I wouldn’t want her to get jealous,” he replied.

“Hmm.” Taako turned around suddenly and started walking back out of the room. His mage hand tugged insistently at Kravitz’.

Confused, Kravitz trailed after him. “Taako?”

Taako didn’t say anything until they had left the room, securing the door tightly again. “You don’t want my gift, huh?” he asked, a touch of cynicism in his tone. “Do you have any idea how long me and Maggie worked on that damn thing? And you didn’t even _touch_ the piano.” He didn’t sound mad, but Kravitz wasn’t really sure how to take this reaction. Had he upset Taako?

But Taako’s mage hand was still holding onto his. It was possible he just forgot he was holding it, but in the meantime, it meant that Kravitz was still tagging along.

“Of course I want your gift,” Kravitz said. “I just didn’t think – I’m not leaving right _now_.”

They went back down the stairs and headed back toward the doorway to the hallway leading to Taako’s study. Taako paused there for a moment, glancing inside. “Krav,” he said, not looking in Kravitz’ direction. “I wanna show you something.”

“Another surprise?” Kravitz asked.

“I...well, not exactly. I just. I found something I think you’ll want to see,” Taako said. His voice was even, but he still wouldn’t look at Kravitz. “I’m not sure I want you to see it, but...I think maybe it’s time I showed you anyway. Will you come with me?”

Taako’s strange mood was a mystery. Kravitz didn’t have a clue as to what Taako was about to show him.

It seemed important, though. He was certain that if he fucked this up, their relationship would be forever different, and not in a good way.

“Of course,” he said.

Taako looked at him finally and nodded. “Okay. Yeah, let’s do this,” he said, as though he was psyching himself up.

They both fell quiet as they continued down the empty hallway, past Taako’s study and on down the hallway. Kravitz had been this way many times in his exploration and knew what was behind many of the doors they passed, but they did not stop at any of them. The hall had another bend in it, turning to lead toward the back of the castle, and they continued down as the sunlight filtered in through dirty windows.

The hallway led to an elegant wooden door, much fancier than the other doors in the hall. It had a beautiful stained glass design in an oval cut window depicting a pale red rose against the more subdued yellows and oranges behind it. The door was offset, placed where the corner would normally be, and a second hallway stretched out perpendicular to the first. Kravitz looked down the hallway and saw, at the far end, another offset door. It was too far away to make out the details, but he could see, even from here, the pink crystal sealing the area closed. There was only one area of the palace sealed away by the pink crystal.

It was clear, suddenly, that Taako was taking him to the top of the eastern tower – his personal quarters, where the servants didn’t even venture. Taako put his hand on the door handle and the whole thing glowed purple a moment before unlatching. Then he opened the door and nodded for Kravitz to follow him.

The stairs up the tower were showing their age, but they held together well enough as Taako and Kravitz climbed them. The sconces on the walls lit up automatically as they approached. The stairwell spiraled around the edges of the tower around a large central pillar made of the same ivory stone as the outer walls. There were occasional small windows that Kravitz glanced out of as they climbed. The view of the ravine and the forest and town below were breathtaking, particularly in the beautiful sunlight.

And then, finally, they were nearly at the top. There was another door similar to the one at the bottom of the tower, but this one Taako hesitated outside of.

“It’s kind of a mess,” he admitted, looking a little chagrined.

Kravitz snorted. “Well, that’s a surprise, considering you never let your actual servants up here,” he replied.

Taako gave him a look and opened the door.

He was right. It was a mess, and not the sort of mess Kravitz had really expected. It was the kind of mess someone made all at once, in a rage. Someone with long, deadly claws and a short temper. The canopy on the bed was shredded, the blankets torn away, and the mattress exposed. The mirror on the vanity was smashed, bits of glass still littering the floor. There were piles of clothes and books and scrolls everywhere. The heavy curtains remained closed, bathing the entire room in eerie shadows from the few magically lit candles on the walls. Even the chandelier looked worse for wear, with most of its crystals broken or missing, and it hung lopsided from its burnished chain.

“I...guess I could let someone up to clean sometimes,” Taako said, frowning. “Watch out, there’s some, uh, mirror glass all over. Follow me.”

Kravitz said nothing, careful to avoid the glass as he walked. The clothing piles seemed to have little distinction between dirty and clean. He wondered how Taako even managed to have his laundry done in this state.

Taako led him to another door. This one opened up into a massive closet, almost the size of Kravitz’ entire room. The closet had been emptied of its clothes. Instead, it had a number of boxes stacked up in the corner. Another set of barely functional sconces lit the room. Taako crossed over to the boxes and reached behind them, carefully extracting an old painting in an elaborate golden frame from behind it. Whatever the painting had been was almost entirely gone now, ripped to shreds by Taako’s claws.

Kravitz realized what it was almost immediately, even though he was impossible to see. It was a painting of Taako, before.

“Taako?” he said uncertainly.

Taako ignored him. He hauled the frame out into the main room and put it on the bed. Then he stepped back to draw the curtains, letting the bright sunlight spill into the room.

Kravitz frowned, approaching the bed cautiously. He tried to arrange the bits of canvas back in some semblance of order, but Taako had done a very good job dismantling it.

“Taako...I’m going to cast mending,” he said.

Taako turned away to stare at the window. He didn’t say anything, just nodded minutely.

Kravitz hummed the painting back into one piece. It took a few extra casts of the cantrip before the pieces started coming together and reconnecting to each other. But slowly and surely, the tears mended and became whole again.

And Kravitz caught his breath in his throat.

Taako had not been lying when he had talked about how beautiful he had once been. The painter had caught him at a three quarters angle and had dressed him in regal blues and golds set against the pale whites and grays in the background. He held a white rose in his gloved hands, and his eyes stared at the viewer, a small, mischievous smile playing on his lips. A braid draped casually over one shoulder. His nose and cheeks were covered in freckles. The beautiful burnished gold of his eyes was the only thing that seemed to have carried over into his monstrous form.

Kravitz felt like his brain had malfunctioned as he stared at the painting, trying to comprehend what he was seeing. For a long moment, he just stood there, staring dumbly at the beautiful elf on the canvas. And then, slowly, the pieces of the mystery finally started coming together.

The conflicting curses. The matter of the throne going to a single elf. The second crystallized tower. Even the crystal rose he had tried to steal so long ago. It all started to make sense.

“Taako,” Kravitz breathed, his heart pounding in his chest. “I know how to break the curse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those interested, the song Kravitz played for Taako was 'Vocalise' by Rachmaninoff. You can listen to the duet version [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19J8dO3T1S8).
> 
> Kind of a short chapter, especially after last week's chonky boy. But I hope you liked it anyway! Comments and kudos are always super appreciated and keep me motivated to work on more! I'm also SUPER curious to know if anyone's figured out what Kravitz has, so you should tell me in the comments what you think. :3
> 
> Find me elsewhere on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack)! Stay safe out there, friends. The world's pretty crazy right now.


	12. Interlude II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story is still a little hazy, even with the new information we've discovered.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and prosperous kingdom called Faerun. Many races coexisted within its borders and delegated their own royalty.

The elves nominated their rules in p̥̜̠̳̼a̼͍̘͙i̦͖̼̮͓̕r̴̝͕͍s̠͎, in sets of t̴̯̫̥̜̟̮̗̫w͘҉̷̰̜̤͔̗̭̤̲͓i̜̭̯̪̤̥͕͞n̡͎̠s̷̶̖͓̜͕̙̼͉ that exhibited a good deal of luck. The prince a̠̩͉̟̻̖̬n̢͖̙̝͉̼̘̬d̬̰͙̰̻ ̼̦͕͜p̶̖͓r̟͓̤͡i̱͎̞̝̤n̜̮̯̭̯̝̯ce̘̻̺̮̬̣s̳̣͎̬̙̲͘s had grown up without a loving family, having to fend for themselves. But when they were twelve, the elven council found them and brought them to the palace.

And that is where P̬͇̼̰̬͓ͮ̈́͆̑͘ͅr̶͔̀ỉ̠͇̞̩̖̜̗̿̅͒͗n̨̳̼̺̪͚̺̙͗̎ͤ̇̅c͚͙͔̩̝̤̲̓ͭe͈͓̱̽ͤͦ͆͌s̮̖̥̯̜̆͛͊͂̒͂ͯs̪̖͓̤̘̹ͨ̿̊̆ͅ ̞͎̼̂̊̽̂ͭ͋ͅL̮̂̿ͥͧͬͯu͋p̵̫͔͉͈̮̾̓ and Prince Taako’s luck was. T̫̝̗̪͍͟ẖ͚̘̝͠e͖̞̪y̤͉̦͓̣̗ went from having nothing to having everything.

And perhaps that is where their luck ran out.

For it was foretold that one would become a monster and the other would be f͍̺̜͔̺̞o̴̟̲̗̖r͎̝̭̕g̤̫͙̣͟ot̝t̨̠̫͇̠̖e͈̣n͟ͅ.

The t͔͙̠͗̈̋̔w̄̏̈̓̃ͨ͏͕̬̞o̝̳̿ͬ͆̑͗ͨ of them had everything they could ask for, and although they were fundamentally good people, sometimes right and wrong got hazy. Sometimes there were no right decisions; there were just decisions.

And so t͙̹̱͕̟̃̓͐ͤ̂ͤh̼̭̭̗e͓͚͍͈̊̀ͨͬ͆̌̐ ̛͛̆͋͋̚p̰̬̝͇ͤ̔̽̄ͅr̔ͨͬͫ̾̇̽îṇ̮ͦ̿ͅc̖͈̹̱̩̤ͤ̊̈́e͓̳̥̫̙͗̿ͅs̲̥͈͉s̤̳̣̘ ̤̟͓́ͮ̇̚d̜̬̅ͭ̈́͆̃ͨi̩̠͍̥̙͚͎͟s̱̬̗͙̓a̩̹̐͊p̧̳͎̰ͦ̈́̔ͅp̘̞͚̺̬è̟͙̯͎̝̓̾ͤ͐͜ͅa͍̪̱̥̲̓ͅrͩ̋ͤͩ͑ͨ҉͕̥̰̹̬̜ͅẽ̳̻̩͐d̢̥, trying to do what she thought was right. And the prince fell into ineffectual despair without h̓͊ͫe͊͗̑ͨ̑͏r̎ by his side.

When their dear friend, the sorceress, realized what had happened, she sought to make everything better. But even she had forgotten what t̩ͮͮ͠͠ͅḩ̬̠̼̯̪̥̫͊ͥͫ͆̿̏̾͠ȩ̟̭̩̬͎̹͂̈͢ ̮̝̖̫̻̪̠̦̒̆̾̅͑͆̇̏͜p̾̃̏̾̄̌̚͏̮͚̩̞̝̬͠r̵͚͕͍̺̉ͦ̄̂̒ͫͥ̔͘ǒ͙̟̝̬͙͎̉̈ͪ̈́͐͒̋pͤ̓ͯ̔ͯ̏̊҉̡̗̯̖͜h̩͉͇ͯ̎̿̅ͮ͌͑ͣe̡̯̯ͮ͋̔͠c̰͇̬̯̯̀̈̎ͭÿ͚͖͍̝͉̻̽̔ͥ͑̚ ̡̛̣̘̘̪̘̩͆̈́h̸̞̦̬̳̮̻͖͓͎̏̓͑̊̃̆ͭ́͢͠a͚̟̯͖̱͚̯͍ͧ͂̐͝d̳̮̖̤̽́́͟ ̸̤̙̼̹͉̮̙̉͆̉̓̇̍s̵̒̇͘͏͙̥̩a̛͙̠̺̳͚͇͍͂͝ͅi̡̨͈͕̊̂ͩ̑̌̇ͦd̷̢͚͚̟̖̳̘̂ͦ͌ͅ.ͬ̓͛ͭ͒͒҉̷̥͜ ͓̣̹̙̺̙̈́͛͗̂͢A͔̓̓n̪̭̪̳͔̞̋̓͂̄ͩ͋̓ͬ͜d̢̼̞̲͚͈̤̪̮̜ͬͩ̕ ́̄ͨ͑ͥ͏̯̺t̶͍̰̼̲͖̱͉͍̀͌̒ͫḣ̬̯̜̙̽̉ͭ͋̑̚ẻ̢̘̫͎̪̞̬̭͙̉̎͡r̨̳̲̼͕̦͊͑̐̌̓ͦͅe̩̺̅ͬ͑͊͒͊'̨̛̠̫̞̻̝̭͐̃š̴̛̟̺̼̪̪̼̞̞̅̓ ̽̇ͭͮ͂̎͏҉͉͕̪͎̝m̼̗̙̲͙͎̻̪ͧ̎ͩ́ͮ̾͛̅̕͜ỏ̴̸̯̤͉ͯͣ̚r̠̜̲̻͓̽̾̍ͩͤ͌͛̊͝è͓̜͕̰͓̺̳̥͊̅͛ͩͮ̎̂͆͜ ̦͓͚̭̩̰̘͚̍̔̏͋͟͡͡t͉͉͔͉̣ͩͩͥ͠o̡̗̹̖͍̯̤̲̙͛ͯ̏͊ ̵̧̦̯̲̬̰͉̝̭͖͒͆̑͌̇̇͠t̖̟̱̠ͫ͗̇̄ͣͫ̎͊̽͠h̬̙ͨ̃ͧ͊̄̽̅͢͞ė̩̫̤͖͈̝̼̓̄͋̔̒ͬ̕ͅ ̷̷̨̜̪͍̮̱̻̱̬ͩ̀ͭ͌͐́̂̔s̰̯͋ͦͩͨ͜t͓͍̣͍̽̄ō̇̌́ͩ͆̋̒͒͜҉͍̘̗͔͖ͅŕ̑̅̅̏̆̊̚͝҉̧͔̜̗̻ẙͧ͂̄͏̰͎̻̘̲,̵͚̰̤̩̪͙̫̘ͬ͑͌ ͦ̔̚͏̦͎͎̝̘̤̼o̯͍͈̪̣͖͈͑ͯ͐̆̎̈́̃͡͝f̴̜͖̝̺͍̣̈̍͞ͅ ̹̣̬̪̻̮̌ͧ̊̈̇ͭͮc̴̞͚̅͋̚ȍ̧̲̗̹̮̂ͪ͝ȗ̳̥̬̏̍̒ͪ̀͆̽͞͞r͔͍̻̞̼̫̪̱͓̔͛̑̏̃͐͘̕͟s̫͎͔̲̞͎̗ͫͧ̓͢ē̢̯ͩ͌͐̾̋̚͡,̩̘̜͉͉̥̲ͣ̾̆͐̎ͣ ̟͉̃̆̅͠f͇̰̪̋ͪͤ̀ͮ̑͘͢o͓̬̬͓̼̳̐̏̈̄͘r̘̗̮͇̠̤͊͞ͅ ͍̣̺̬͍͕̠̪͔̒̃͢a̷̯͓̭͈̽͊͛ͯ̏͊͠ ͇̯̆̑̊ͩ̍͂͛̚̕̕͝fͨ͐̿̔ͣ͏̱̜̖̗͜ͅa̦͗̇̒ͪ̈́ͣͮ̂͗͢ȉ̢̟̬̖͌͢͟rͭ̂͑̏͐ͭ́͏͖̯͎̬y̳̙̠̟͆ͮ͂ͨͨ̀ͦ̋ ̬͉̥̯͚͎͓ͦͣͧ͒̽ͅt̴̡͓̞̦̃̊͛a̫̞̟͉̥̟͇̒͜l͔͚͔̓ͭ̀e̴̞͔̥̫̟̗̜̦͆ͫ͗ͤ̂̔̽ͫ ̢͓̼ͯ̌̅͝͝ơ̢̝͈̠̜̟ͪ̒ͦ̌͋ͫ͟n̬̻ͣ͒ͮͨ̈̈͛̕l̢̢̠̻̞͇͌ͯ̈̆̇ͭͬ͢ý̺͇͔̞͆͑̊͒ͧͯͅ ̹͍̮͎ͫͪͫ̉̊ͧ͒̚t̩̱͚͉͐͌̂̈͂͜e̺̜͓̥̾̏̂l̨̜͈͖̩̇̒̚l̡̙̹̪̚͘͜s̥̬̝̣̲͈͔̬͇ͩͭ̾͆ ̯̼̹̝̳ͭ͞͡ṭ̸̢̢̖͕͎̼̣͙̝̑͂h̵̶͇͚̙͚̟̏͗̉̎̋̅͂̓͘e͎̗̰̰ͥͬ̿ͪ̒͢͡ ͬ̍ͥͣ҉̯͇̞͔ͅb͙̦̤̻̝͇͙̝̒͐̄͗ả̡̮͍͂̇͆r̬̲̘̞͉̲̭̖ͮ͐ͭ̊̋̍͂̽̾͞e̯͔̰͍̼ͦ͌ͪ͂͌̿͊͟ ̡̳̻̺͕̞ͥ̿ͥ͢͜m̪̳͉͔̤͍̭ͦ̀̄i̸̼͇̦͚̪͖̖̜̱͗͑ͬͯǹ̨͍͖̠̹̤̥̜̠̆ͩ͗̽̋̕i̫̼̦̘̫̭̻̣̪ͪ̎̀m̵̛̰̱̬ͬ͊͆ų̥̺̜ͦ̍̔̒ͅm̛̟͉̹̜̮ͭͦͩ̾̐̂̌̚͝ ̷̙̦̞̔ͪ͑̉ó͉̟̣̹ͨ͒ͯͫf̫̦͙̻̭̲̥͇ͮ͆ͮ͐ͩ ͧ͏̦͍͈͖̲ť̥̜͚̗̦̋ͬͮͥ͋̑͐̚͜ĥ̶͓ͮ̐̑̄e͖͚͉͈̯̱͐̋̑̎̃̓̉ ͒̆̊ͪͤ̑͟͏̹̞̣̺̠͓̩͖s̥̳͍̜͉̒̋ͥͪt̳͔̟̩̣̪̪͐͂̈ͪͅo̶͎̻̭͕͓̻̟ͪ͊̂̿́̀ͭ̽̚͟r̠̲̗͕͇̩̼̭̳̐͂̉̕ẏ̛̜͈ͮͧ.̠̺̼̞͚̭̊̎̾ ̛̛̙̻̳͆́I̢̧̻̙͙̞͔̙̳̻͇̾ͮ͗͋ͭͯ͌̾t͈̮̺̻̖̼̱̠ͭ͂ͮ̊̓͑͌ ̴̝̮͖̲͖̬̤̉͑̅ͨ͗̂ͩ͞o̶̮͎͎̗̘͋ͦ͆̓͡f͚̗͎̗̱̹͙̬̬̉̋̎ͦ͝t̡̰̦̊̎ͧ͑̚ͅê̢͈ͭ̃̿͟n̸͚̹̘̺̥͐̊ͨ̆̈́̋̏͊ ͍͍̱̟́͜ͅl̛̥͖̻͍̟͍̂̽ͮͯ͞e̮̟̥̫͇̙͔͙͑͌ͮ̚͘a͇̳̫̪͚̻ͣͣ̂̾̐͑ͅv̅ͤͫͪ҉͇̫̱e̠͕̖͕̩̼̺͊̇s̡͈̳̯͍̼̓ ̬͇̙͓̣̲͛̽͋̚͜ō̬͓͓̥̣̟̱ͅͅu̡̍͢͏̯̟͎̪͖̩̘̹ẗ̳̒͒ͥ̄̾̕ ̙̩̯̖͗ͦ̋͌̆͐̕t̡̢̞͓̹̦̩̃̓́̚h͕̠̰̝̳͕͖̍͌̿̾ͭ͘e̩̞̓̊ͨ̇̆ͪͨ ̶̠͖̏̀̍̔̽͂ͤḭ͎̭̫̫̞̤ͧ̈͟m̨̱̝ͬͪ̚ͅp͉̜ͭ̑̅͋̇̊̎͘o̠̰͋͆ͬ͑ͭͧ͊ͬr̲̱̟̱̝̗̩̰̯͐̈͋ͭ̄̑̃̚t̩̼͎̀̓͜͟a̷͚̱ͯ̂͢ñ̸̝̟̽̓͂͌̍̓̎ͧ͘t̴̗̳̪͔̥̯̟̽̋̽͌ͩ̑̓́̋ ͇̙͚̗̳̆̐̔ͫ̄͌ͦͭ͟͢͜d̵̂ͪ̓҉̢͎͔̰̟̝̗ȩ͎͖̺̘͔͋͒̽̔͞t̟̭͖̗̗̖͔̫̋̓̈ͥ̓̒â̷̳̠̥͚͚̻̜̓͋͒ͧ̎̋ͅi̧͙̖͙̭͍̺̤̣͑̀ͣ̒̂̐l͙͉̳̟̊̍͛̃͘͢ş̴̳̾̇̃͑̇ͭ͢ͅ ̡̲̱̺͍̞̭͒̑̒̌ͣͅͅf̫͎̦̻͖̀ͭͭͥ́͟ở̸̲͍̝̔̂ͨ͑r̀̆͗҉͚̕͡ ̿̋̐ͨ̆ͪ̌̚̕҉̟̯̩̦͚̯t̘̮̹̬͍̋̓̋̋͘͝ḩ̷̰̤̺̞̗̠͐̎ͥ̀̌͒̃͠ę̪̬͉̻̮̀̅̋ͩ̈͟͠ ̴̛̺̾̏ͦͥ̀̈͊̕s͖͇ͬ̃ͫͦͥ͝ḁ͖̘̼̟̱̳̭̬ͦ́̓͟k̷̮̫͚̈ͩ̋̊͐e̷̢̝̙͚̖͙̓͐͒̾͐͟ ̴͕͚͖̻̞̻͌ͪ̊̈́̒͌̂o̽̎͛̌̚͏̷̣̞̥̗̭f̶̭͍͙̤͉̩̠̖̭̊͘ ̐͌̋̆̏҉̴̮̣̹̣͝ͅṫ̶͚̝̘̭̓́̉͢ȩ̴̩̗̘̯̹̼̑̓̋̾a̶̡̢͈͚̣͇͔̺̹͖̋c̵̛͚ͣ͜h̴̶̞̱̺͓̤̬̣̮̉̂͛̅̊̏͛̇̚î̡̝̠͓̯̪͓͆̾͛͒̋͋̈́͞n͍͇͖̻̥̈̌ͪģ͓̝͇̙̣̰̼͓͑ͪ̅ ̞̣̱̮̰͚͙̋ͮ̔̆̈́̅̉͒̈́a̸͎̔͆̓̈́̋̂̇̓ ̰̺̠̜͕̝̺͙̱͂ͤ̕͘l̛̯͍̠̘̱͚̭̝̈̏̃̓͘͢e̳͇͓͔̝ͩ̐͜s̘̥̠̱̹̬̖̲͓͋͂͆̉ͯͤ͆ͬs̶͋ͯ͏̘͎͖͚̩ôͨ̾ͣ͏̱̤̦͙͉nͤ̓͋̔̒̋͑̕͏̩̦͓̹͚̱̳͕.̮̙͕̠̗̦̅ͣͪͦ̕͠ ̣̠͚̺ͮͅB͉̰̰̞̲̘̞͎̘ͨ͆̉ͤͣ̍u̘̠̣̩͔͎̱̽ͥ͛͗̄ͬ̚tͤͩ̓̀͞҉̢͓͓̝ ̷̵͚̖̬̙̠̩̒͒́ͣͪ̍̊ͤͅsͥ҉̰̙̜͝o̧̦̅͢ͅm̛̰͈͓̯ͣͨͯ̓̋̃̕eͩ͟҉̻̟̲t̨̹͕͉̻̰̔̍̎ͪͩͦ̿̃͝i̡̧̤̮̞̫̟̾ͨ͛̿ͥ̿̑m̵͓͈̻̯̟͕͇̑ͫ̍͜ẻ̱̭̼̺͈͓̦͂ͅs̸̩̙̗͕̄̅ͭ̈́̔ͦ,̴̪̞̺̼̜͍̜ͦ̓ͯ̔͘ ̣̙̼̹̺͈̺͙͋̀̿̋̂͋̚͢t̳̠̱͖̭̝̪ͦ̄h̢̘̯͍͈͕̝̦̤̾̔ͭ̓͘e͈͍̺͔̒̍͢ͅř̟͖̣̝̟̝̜̍ͮe̴̪̋͒͂ͬ̇̉̌̓͝ ̸̿̋̒̍͏̲̱̩̬͖̠i̮̖̖̟̰̰̯̼̮͑͡s̽҉̢̣͚̯̠̝̤̱̥ ̩̟̱̋̐́ͧ̃̃ͪn͍̊̿͛̕ͅo̸͓͙̩͓͗̿̓͆̓̍ͥ͋̽͟ ͩ̆̒̚͘҉̜̼̤̟̟l̿ͧͮ̐ͧ̂ͣ͆͏̩̣̲͎̳͖e̼͔͖̹̜͌̐͑͗͘͢s̸̻̺͍̺̼̜͕͎̀ͩ͛̈́̑̆͝s̪̱̤̹̦̱̏̑̋ͪ̄o̸̢͖̹̼̲̭̫ͧ̐̍n̴̛̤͍ͭ̍̏̅̋̿ͭ̉͞ ̱͊̃̋̽͑̕t̡̧͎̟͇̺͎͒̒̿͒̆ͭͯo̡̺̻ͣͫ̓̾͢ ̶̱̖͎̹͚͇̾͗̇̈͆ͣͬ͘̕ͅb̞ͫ͐͛ͣͨ͢ͅe̴̥̖̮̓͑̓ͯͥ͜͞ ̱͇̪̹̅̚l̨̛͖̪͈̆̾̏̾ͯ̔ĕ̙̤ͤ̂̓ͪ̚a͙͇͈͚͈̱̅̀ͧr̡̨̜̭̹͓ͩ͗͗̾ͯ̄ͦ͗n̡͓͉͍̱͍͕̜̼̾̆ͣ̈ͧ̽ͯ͑e͆ͣ҉̫͚̳d̞̫ͤ̎̈͆̅̃̀̂̔.̼̠̤̰͕̘͕ͪ̌̈͆ͪ̓̽̐͝ ͐̏ͪͩͬͦ͏̨͓̻ S҉̵̭̼̠̦̦̦̖̰̬̳o̴͔̘͍̩͘͘m̷̴̠̹̩̫͔̮̙͈͍͖̮͇̯͍͚͔͕͙͡ę̶̛͈̺̘̘̠̗̼͓̤̙͙̤̝͉̘̮̙̣̥t̸̹̝͙̥̬̫̩̭̣̯̭̯̭͜͝i̴̷̷̴̪̙̺̤̜̤̟̯̖̥͈̗̦͚̕m̦͓̹̻̱̖̱͈̩̟̕͝͝e̷̵̶̤̝̗̪̘̠̗̞̲̣̝̹̺̫̙̘̭̤͔s̷̨̳̟͔̰͝,̵̺̗͇͕̦̙̻͢͜ ̵̛̼̙͓̠p̤̰̖̼̰͖̠̕͝ͅe̬̗̣͇̮̫̟̬̺̫̳̺̱̼̭͡ǫ͝҉̼̱͍͖̻͖̰̲p̨̢̙͉̲͈͜͡l̴̨̗͈̳̥͔̗͢ͅe҉̧̠̻̫͍͜͝͝ ̵̢̛̹̬͙̩̯̞͈̦̪͙̖̗̹̫͎̱̫̟͠͞s͏̶̶̶̭̫̲͉̥̞̯̟̱ṳ̧̤̠̫̠̦̞̹̰͘͘f̴͔̱̟̮̣̥̩̝̬̦̞͚̯͇͢f̸̭̱͖͇̪̬͚̺͇̳͇̙͠e̷̴̛̥̗͓̯̼̟̼̞̪̹̜̮̼͎̲̠̥ͅr̜̳̝̟̳̤̭͘͞ ̡̼͈̻̩̦̙̳͈̫̗̥̘͙̠͈͇͚̫͠͝ͅi̴̧̛͍̗̤͖̥̘̞̹̳̭͇͝n̢̦̼͈͓̠ ̵̗̺̻̺͚͚̠͖͓̠̠̲͇̦̫s̴̸҉̡̼̰̫͚̰͚̼͓͎̠̗̗̻̻͙̰͇͠p̘̱̙̗͘̕i̢͟͏̧҉̖͍̪̳̗̳ͅt̢̡̛̰͙͔̱̞̝̱̘̥̪̻̥e̴̳̤͕̪̙̬̤̮̱̤̭̞̩̝͚̤͔̟͜͢ ҉̵̡̱̥̖̟͈̝̠͘o̧̢̩͇̯͎͉̣͎̳͈̗͙̠͚̟͔̩̫̹̻͘͟͞f̢̻̭͈̩͓̜̺̠̟̬͈̖͕͖ͅ ̷̞͓̥̕͝o̪̥̙̝͡n̸͖̝̤̳͙͍͠͠e͓̭̰͖̰͓̭̺̪̤̫͍̫̻̕'̸̹̼̬̝̬̙̱̰̘̘s̸̡̧͕̞̬̮̦̭͙͎̺̬̟̫̜̥̲͙͡ͅͅ ̷͡҉̡̟͕̭̲͓̖ͅb̛͝҉͈̭̲̼͚̫̞͚̤͝e̶͈̰̳̙̤̯͓͚͎̦̣̳͔̭͘͜͠͠ͅs̶̤̣̦̹̘̻̲ͅt̢̰̝̞̼͠ ̷̢̢͙͓̹̞͔̭͙͉͙̦͈̟̦͇̜̳̱̝̫i̷͚̝̱̟̬̥̱̣̦̗͎̠͡ͅͅn̪̥̳̺̭̞̦̳̤͡t̨͍̭͚̟͍͓̗̰̮̪͙͇̠̲͖̬͜e҉̧͈̭̩̞̥̜͔̹̣͕̟͘͡n̸̥̬͓̫̫̦͓̱͓̦̝̻̩̭͎̕͝ͅͅt̸̷̘̮̜͉̹̣̖̪͎͎̫͕̺̹͎̬͝į̶͈͔͇̣̳o̷͠͏̗͍̻̥n̡̨̜̣͓͔͔̙̦̹̳͇̯͈̫͓̜͡s͠҉̟͎͍̖̬̦̞̳̪̣,̧͏̨͓͈̗̞̲͎̟̙͓ ̨̜̳̬̤̰̱̺̣̭͎ą̵҉͖̯͇̘n͏̷̱͔̺̖̪̳̘͓̯̖d̨̛͎̟̳̲̟̪̖̩̼̝ ͚̦͍̠̞̦̘̞̼͈͇̘͟t̷̡̩͙͎̼̱̙̩̺͟͞ͅh̵̸̩̰̩̦͎͇̦̗͓̘̲̤̝̝͠ͅe҉̸̨̖̙̦̤̝̺̘͈̗̭͍̺̞̣͜r͏̴͍̯͇̥̕e̴͖͚̟̬̺̘̰͔̜̞͓̪̜͓͓͕̝̳͠ͅ'̴̢̣̟͎̪̰͍̣͇̮̜̺͎͓̕͠s̷̨̛͚̝͕͈̟͚͟ ̸̡̧̩̥̞̬̮͕̯͚̻̭n̸̴̢̡҉͙̪͙͈̰o̷͎͈̦̞̖͢͝t̡̺̟̬͓͇̖͖̖͕̹͎̤̩̮̠͘͡h͚̦̣͎̱͔̠̬̟̲͈̙͇̬̳͖͢i̦̜̦͟͝ṉ̴̶̨̪̪̤̟̻̺͕̩̖̯̼͕̬͍͓̬͟g̵̸̛̖̞͚̻̹͟ ̢̳̣͔̘͖̳̤̪̞̱͇̖̳͜o̸̟̺̬͚̻̺̤̬͖͎̖̭͍̤n̸̸̩̪̹̩͈̫̠̗̘̪͖̝̙͔ȩ̷̪̗̣͍̤̯̯̤͍̤ ̵̨҉҉͍̜̼̳̜c̵̶̱̩̱̥̖̘͉̰̠̲͜͝a̢͔̲̯͈͓͙̩͢n̡̢̡̖̹͙̬̣͜͝ ̶̨̛͖̩̤̙̺̬̟͢d̡̻̠̝͎͇͢o҉̸̟̫̺̝̖͓͇̻͓̲͈̼ ̸̛̙̞̹̜̻͕͘͠͝a͏͢͟͏̘̦̮̬̝͕̗̥̮͎̤̝̞̯͕͍͓͕b͘͞͏̧͎̥͍͉͓o͘͜͜͏̪̮̜͓̭̥u҉̢̗̤̬̜͙͖̫̫̟͢t̢̜͎̲͓̯̘͕̩̝̜̠̜̜̗̦̱̜͜ͅ ̡̟̙̖̱͇̰̟͚̦̯͓̮͚̥̥̹͇̹̦͜͝t̶̢̹̫̗͚͖̣̰̮̹h̶̛̤͙̹͔̟̤͘͜a͏̢̲͚̬̗͍̼̼͓ͅt̷͟͡҉̮͖͖̳̹̬ ̛̛͞͏̞̲̠̞͓̠̪̼͇͚͕͖b̵͢͏҉͍͍̣̫̝̦͉̗u̵̟̮͉̱̲̙͢͞ͅţ̷̨̪̣̠̰͈ ̧҉̥̼͍͍̫͙̯̲̯͈̦ͅt̨̤̤̖͘͢͠r҉̧̖̤̪͎̬͔̝̱̺̫̰̘̥̘͎͉̕͢y͕͓̭̲̗̘͇͙͠͠ ̴̩̤̱͔̹̗̦̥͍̻̮͓̭͠ͅt̳̹̫̳̫̲͜͞͡o҉̟͕̣̤̥̞͎̦̟̤̘̱̺̪̱̻͝ ̷̢̡̮͔̟̯̘͇͖̙͈͉͔͘m̢̢̪̟͍̬͈̗͇͘͘o̡͡͏̨̣͓̗̘͈̻̪̼̳̥̠̮̗̤ͅv̡̻̼̺̮̥̟̠̼͡ͅe̢̛̮̻̪͕̞̱̺͎͕̬͉͍̗̙̕͢ ̷̞̳̱̘̦̫͙̘͍͜ͅf̸̩̘̦͙͝o̸̻̗̙̞̼͚̟̫͉̗̕r̷̘̘͉̟͎̜̺̣̤̩̘͢ͅw̳̥̗̟̩͓̞̬̦̼͚̖̦͎͡a̸͍̮̥͖̖͝͠r̷̨̢͏̗̼̫͓̥d̷̜͚͍̜̬̮͎̭̙͔̼̩̩̩̳̺̱͘ ҉̵̨̥̺̳̲̙̘̪͟͝a̢͏̮̟͓̞͈͔̤͇͓n͏̧̞̱̤̼̹͖͉̪̮͓ͅͅḓ̢̰̲̠̖͍̞̳͚̬̖̙͚̫ͅ ̩͔͙͖̬͈̙̖̖͎͚̠̫̻̯͓̺̠͢ͅb҉̖͕̫̟̪̹͕͇̘̝̩͜͝͡ę̴̥̫̤̺̱͓̤̖̩͞͞c̶̸̴̡̜͕͈̞̹͠o̴̸̵̙̝̗̠͙̹̳̝͇̲͔͝͝m҉̶̧͇̺͙͖̖̤̘̻̕ͅe͟҉̸̦̣̗̣͔̫̰̘͓̫̰͓̲̕ͅͅ ̵̞̘͕̼̼̮̺a̶̶̧͎̰̙̼̣͖̺̹̘̪̹̕ ̟̪̭͇͖̮͎̩̩͉̫͎͎̱̕͘͡b̲͇̥̝͍̻͕͎͕̟̝̝͝ͅͅȩ̸͈͚̝͖̻͈̤̭̗̳̬̟͘͟͜ͅţ̗͓̺̖̹͉͎̣̤̞̟̗͈͚̯̕͜͢͡t͎̩͚͕̣͇͚̜͕̺͍͝ͅe͇̟̩͉͚̬̰̭̝̱͚̳̻̳͟͞͠͡ͅr̶̨͚̣͇̠͜͞͝ͅ ̴͇͖̱̮͎̹͎͚̰͚̮̗͎̩̭̩̹̰̕͞͠p̛̱͇̻̳̯͇͟͞ȩ̼̩͙̫̮͎̥̫͕͖̳̫̱͜͞r͡͏̨̦̳̱̲̼̺̻ş̢̪͓̮͍̪̳̟̼͍̫̘ǫ̷̗̖̫̗̥͓͓̺̗̝̻̣̣̦̫͡n̛̻̫̹̥̼͚̥̦̗ͅ.̵͇̘̪̤̞͇̞̱̮͖̱̭͙͍̱͞

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many apologies for a teeny tiny not-chapter this week, especially with that cliffhanger ending last week. At this point in the story, we're coming up on the end of the chapters all nicely written up and ready to go. I need to do a lot of restructuring of some upcoming chapters, so my plan is to give myself a little extra time to do so.
> 
> Thank you for all of your overwhelming support! You've gotten me through a lot of rainy days lately. I hope you'll consider commenting or leaving kudos on this chapter as well. I appreciate it so much!
> 
> You can find me elsewhere on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). I love to chat so feel free to hit me up!


	13. Caught Up in the Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bard seems to have solved the riddle of undoing the prince's curse. But he has to leave the castle to do so, and who knows what kind of trouble is waiting for him there?
> 
> Kravitz makes some friends. Taako does some magic. Lup continues to not be in the story.

A moment of silence stretched between them as Taako stared at Kravitz and Kravitz stared at the painting.

“Huh?” Taako said. “Darling, that’s just a painting of me. It was made like way before any of this curse nonsense happened. There’s no...secret answer hidden in this.”

Kravitz shook his head.

“You don’t understand. This painting – no, not the painting. This just...I _understand_ now. Everything that didn’t make sense before,” he insisted.

Kravitz was right about one thing. Taako didn’t understand at all. He glanced at the painting, as if it contained the secrets to undoing his curse. Instead, he just saw a face he had grown to resent more and more each day it was gone. He balled his hands into fists, felt the blunt pressure of his filed claws against his palms. He wanted to slash up the painting again, but apparently, there was something about it important to Kravitz.

“If you say so,” he replied, turning back to the window so he didn’t have to look at that handsome, smug face any longer.

“I don’t think I can explain it now,” Kravitz admitted. “It’s hard to think about it. There’s some serious magic at play here, and I don’t know...Taako. Listen. Lucretia said true love could break the curse, right?”

“Did you just fall madly in love with that painting?” Taako asked, annoyed at that idea.

“What? No, not _me._ There’s _already_ someone who loves you,” Kravitz explained. “It’s just...it can’t be me. I’m not involved in this whole situation. It’s...” He seemed to be struggling with the words. “I keep thinking about the curse, that you’ll be forgotten. It’s never sat right with me. I don’t think anyone has _forgotten_ about you. Maybe they left the town, the castle, but everyone remembers who you are. If I left this castle, I would still remember you.”

“Okay? So maybe that part hasn’t hit yet, is that what you’re saying? Something else is gonna happen, and _then_ you’re gonna forget about me?” Taako didn’t really like where this was going.

“No. Taako. Think about it. You’re the only elven royalty who hasn’t come in a pair in – centuries, probably. There was a curse that someone is going to be forgotten...”

“Stop,” Taako said sharply. Kravitz’ words seemed to make sense, but they also felt like they were stabbing him in the brain. His head felt fuzzy. He understood, in a vague sense, what the implication was here, but he couldn’t manage to think about it.

It didn’t make sense anyway. That would mean all of Taako’s memories of his childhood and his upbringing in the castle and all of that – everything in his head was a lie. He _knew_ he had been alone as a kid. It wasn’t like there was a blurry place in his mind for a second person to even be. How could somebody just erase all traces of a person like that?

“No, this is stupid. Your theory is bad,” Taako said insistently. “Listen, if you’re implying that I have a _twin_ out there somewhere, it’s somebody I never met. It’s not somebody who I forgot. I’ve been alone my _whole life_ , Krav. Do you understand me? What you’re suggesting is that my _entire fucking life_ has been a lie.” His hands were shaking, and his head was pounding, and he wanted this conversation over.

Kravitz hesitated. “I know. It seems pretty far fetched,” he admitted. He looked back at the painting with a frown on his face. “But I think it’s worth a shot. If I’m wrong, then...I’m wrong, and life goes on like it has for the past ten years.”

His words made sense, but there was still something bothering Taako about this. He just couldn’t quite place a finger on what was wrong.

“Well, what’s the secret, then?” he asked, folding his arms over his chest and tucking his hands up in his armpits.

“I’m...not exactly sure, but my idea is...well.” Kravitz looked up at him. “I’ll need to leave the castle for a little while.”

“Oh.”

Taako didn’t like _that_ at all. But Kravitz wasn’t a prisoner. He had decided to stay the winter on his own. Taako had released him from his original contract. There was nothing he could do or say to get Kravitz to stay. That was why the violin had been so important. That was why he had had Magnus help him refurbish it.

And Kravitz had rejected it.

Taako had a bad feeling about all of this, that Kravitz was going to walk out of the palace and never return. He barely knew the guy, after all. He had woven all sorts of stories about his life when pressed for details, and Taako didn’t know what, if any of it it, was true. Music was the only thing that Taako knew for sure was something he liked, and he had only managed that much based on the incident where Kravitz had found the old piano.

Kravitz had looked at a painting, proposed the craziest theory ever, and then wanted to leave. It didn’t really sit well with Taako. It was like he had gotten a glimpse of past Taako and didn’t have any interest in current Taako anymore.

Well, not like anyone would blame him.

“Okay, cool,” he said, his voice carefully emotionless. “Ask Maggie for supplies, and Ren can set you up with food for the journey. When are you leaving?”

“I’m not leaving for _good_ ,” Kravitz said gently, and Taako couldn’t quite stop himself from scowling at how easily Kravitz could read him. “That was never the plan. I care about you a lot, Taako. I was _always_ going to come back.”

Taako felt a tug at his still conjured mage hand. Kravitz’ was squeezing it.

“Yeah, I got it, my dude,” he said, glancing back at Kravitz for just a moment. “Don’t leave until morning, though. It’s too late today.” He flicked his wand absently, ending the mage hand spell. He wasn’t in the mood any longer.

“Why are you upset about this?” Kravitz asked, a touch of frustration in his voice.

“Who said anything about being upset?” Taako quipped, picking up the painting and hauling it off toward the closet again. He slid it behind the boxes again so that it faced the wall, and it could stay there forever, as far as he cared.

Kravitz was waiting for him outside the closet, watching him with eyebrows raised. “You’re acting like you don’t want the curse broken at all,” he said.

“‘Course I want the curse broken,” Taako retorted. “But you’re giving me a headache, talking about this shit.”

It was _fine_ that Kravitz was leaving. Everybody left in the end. The people that stuck around had nowhere else to go, or stayed for other people. Taako was used to it. He had been a dick even before he had become a hideous monster; people weren’t drawn to him. That was fine. He didn’t like people anyway. And if Kravitz’ stupid, unreasonable theory was right, then that was just somebody else who had left him behind.

Kravitz could say he would come back all he wanted. But he wouldn’t take the violin with him to remember Taako by. And, until he showed up at the door again, Taako knew he wouldn’t quite be able to trust that he’d return.

“Look, just make sure you come see me before you leave,” Taako said.

For a moment, he thought that Kravitz was going to push the issue and insist on talking it out. But then, he simply nodded. “All right, Taako,” he said. Taako felt the gentle pressure of Kravitz’ mage hand on his shoulder. “I guess I should start packing, then.”

“Yeah,” Taako agreed. “Don’t forget to get supplies and shit. Oh, Merle will probably be able to spare some medical stuff too. Take whatever you need.”

“Thank you,” Kravitz replied, nodding. There was a sort of stiff feeling between the two of them, but he smiled like it wasn’t there.

Taako watched him go, not even walking him down the stairs. He counted in his head up to two hundred to make sure Kravitz was far enough away. Then he knocked all the clothes piled on the vanity onto the floor in a fit of pique. He grabbed the edges of the draperies and yanked them closed, bathing the room in darkness again.

He considered curling up in his meditation nest and calling the entire day a wash, but Kravitz was leaving in the morning. He had to do _something_ , had to give Kravitz something that would make him _want_ to come back. Ren’s cooking was good, but it wouldn’t last indefinitely. Magnus and Julia radiated a sort of rustic hospitality, but that would be easy to forget. Everyone had their own charms that would wear away with time.

Taako wanted to give Kravitz something real, something tangible.

And if he wouldn’t take the goddamn violin, then Taako would have to figure something else out.

Something useful, he thought, pacing around the room. Something that he might not already have and would serve a purpose so that he would keep it. Something that he could look at and immediately remember that Taako had given it to him.

Something that would always lead him back to the castle.

Taako swept out of the tower, stalking down the hallway to his office. Davenport was waiting for him there, so Taako sent him off to retrieve some things he would need. Then he went in and cleared off his desk with a wide sweep of his arm. He would need room for this.

He retrieved a few tomes. This was going to take a little extra effort than a typical enchantment, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. He had some ideas to work with, and really, the enchantments he would need weren’t anything groundbreaking, just unique.

It still took him a few hours of work. Davenport brought him a sandwich for dinner and brewed a few pots of tea. Kravitz came by once, but Davenport turned him away. Once Taako had all the enchantments in place, he needed to attune the device to his own magical aura, which meant he needed to keep it with him for another hour.

By the time all of that was finished, the sun had already gone down, and the bitter chill of the evening air was permeating the castle walls. Taako bade Davenport to find Kravitz and bring him back to the study. He stoked the fire while he waited.

He heard the door open. He didn’t turn around right away.

“It’s about time,” Kravitz said from the doorway. “I was about to go to bed. I was worried I wasn’t going to get to see you again.”

“I was working on something,” Taako told him, glancing over his shoulder. “Something I wanted to give you before you left.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

He straightened up. His desk had a number of scrolls and magic components scattered across it. Right in the center, though, was a golden locket about the size of a large pocket watch. The cover was delicately embossed with a decorative skull on top of what appeared to be a circle of compass arrows pointing outwards. Like a pocket watch, it had a knob on the top attached to a long golden chain. Taako lifted it by the chain for Kravitz to see.

“Is that a pocket watch?” Kravitz asked, coming closer to inspect it. He reached out to take it, and Taako let him.

“No. Open it up.”

Kravitz released the clasp, letting the cover spring open. The glass covering on the inside protected not a watch, however, but a compass. The tiny arrow had been sculpted to look like the hand of a clock.

“A compass,” Kravitz said, pleased. But then he frowned, twisting it around and studying it. “This isn’t north. Which way is north?”

“It doesn’t point north,” Taako said. “Stay still and watch.”

Kravitz held up the compass while Taako walked around him in a wide circle. A grin spread across his face as he understood the enchantment. “It points to _you_ ,” he said.

“Couldn’t let you get lost trying to visit,” Taako sniffed. “Anyway, uh, if you turn the knob at the top, it points north like regular.”

Kravitz turned the knob on the top and watched the hand swing around the proper direction and stay there. He smiled and snapped the lid closed, holding it to his chest for a moment. “Thank you, Taako. It’s...it’s lovely,” he said. “Exactly what I need to keep me from getting lost.”

Taako’s ears flicked up slightly, and he looked away, embarrassed. “Yeah, well, wouldn’t want you to forget the way back,” he said. “It’d be all well and good for you to figure out how to break my curse and then not be able to remember where I fucking lived.”

Kravitz chuckled. “As if I ever could forget,” he said.

Taako hesitated a little bit. “Just...you said you didn’t think I’d been forgotten, right? That no one outside the castle had forgotten who I was?” he asked. “This will also eliminate that problem, in case you’re wrong. The compass points to me. All you have to do is follow it.”

The smile on Kravitz’ face faded a little bit. “I suppose it’s easy to say I could never forget you, but...well, this _is_ magic,” he said, nodding. “You’re right. This is a good idea.”

“Yeah,” Taako said. “So, uh. Be safe out there or whatever.”

Kravitz nodded. “I know I have a bad track record when it comes to wolves, but I assure you I am actually fairly good at taking care of myself,” he said. “Magnus said he would bring me to town in the morning, so I shouldn’t even have to worry about that.”

“Okay.” There were other things Taako should probably say. If he wasn’t a horrible, venomous monster, maybe he would say them. “Cool.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll be. I’ll have to find some people, might have to take care of a few things before I come back,” Kravitz said. “But...wait for me. I’ve got perfect directions now.” He patted the compass affectionately.

“Ain’t got anywhere else to go, thug,” Taako said flatly.

“Right.” Kravitz nodded. He hesitated, like he wanted to say something else, but something kept him from saying it. “...be safe, Taako,” he said instead.

“What? Me?” Taako asked, snorting. “The biggest threat I get here is that I’m finally going to get caught up in Maggie and Carey’s prank war and find thumbtacks glued to my chair or some shit.”

Kravitz smiled. “I guess so. Well.” He slid the compass into his pocket and patted it. “I need to go to bed so I can get an early start in the morning. I suppose I probably won’t see you again before I leave.”

“I suppose not,” Taako agreed. “...good night, Krav.”

“Good night, Taako.”

Taako turned to face the window again as Kravitz turned to leave. He didn’t want to watch Kravitz go. But in the darkness, the window reflected everything behind him. He could see the wistful look Kravitz gave him before stepping out the door.

And Taako was alone again.

* * *

In spite of what Kravitz had told his friends at the palace when he had first arrived, he decided to give Goldcliffe a wide berth in his current travels. His mark was known to hold a grudge, after all, and just because Kravitz had been missing in action for the past three months didn’t mean his temper had necessarily cooled.

Besides, Kravitz owed him a _lot_ of money.

And so, after he parted ways with Magnus in Waterdeep, his next move was to find a transport to Neverwinter. He hated to leave a job unfinished, but there were more important things at stake right now.

His hand still crept into his pocket every now and again to wrap around the enchanted compass in his pocket. It was a surprisingly thoughtful gift, and he was grateful for ir. The amount of times he had wondered how much gold he could sell it for was, quite frankly, embarrassing. It seemed the winter spent within the castle had not changed him as much as he had hoped.

He wouldn’t sell it, though, of course. If someone found out about the enchantment, followed it to its conclusion, then Taako could be in danger. He couldn’t bear that.

But it was so beautifully crafted...

Taako just...threw around his beautiful, expensive gifts around like they were nothing. It was frustrating how little he seemed to understand money. According to what he had told Kravitz, he had grown up with barely anything, being passed between relatives who didn’t want him or could barely support him.

Taako should understand that money meant a lot outside in the real world. But then, Taako hadn’t been outside in the real world in a century, at least.

Kravitz should have taken the violin. That was _d_ _efinitely_ worth a fortune.

No, he really shouldn’t have. But he _wished_ he had.

Caravans headed out on the trail to and from Waterdeep on a daily basis, and they ran cheap. But the fastest trips spanned almost two weeks. The railway, however, could make the same trip in a single day. He opted for the latter, even though it was more expensive. He hadn’t exactly been in a rush, but he was sure Taako would appreciate the speed regardless.

His little group had safe houses spread out in every major city in Faerun, but the one in western Neverwinter was sort of a central headquarters for them. It would be his best bet in meeting up with somebody who could help him out. The safe house was in a residential district, a boring, average looking townhouse in a block of other boring, average looking townhouses. It had a discreet back entrance into the alley behind it, and the basement connected to a network of underground tunnels used by various vagrants who didn’t care to attract a lot of attention while traveling.

Kravitz wasn’t trying to be stealthy, nor did he need to risk any extra attention by any particularly attentive neighbors that would come from using the alley side door. The banner hanging by the window was green – a signal that everything was all right. He walked right up to the front door, hummed a tune to undo the magical locks from the door, and let himself in.

The house’s base floor was exactly what one might expect from a little townhouse in the middle class residential area of Neverwinter. The front door opened into an entry area with a small kitchen on the left and the door to the bathroom on the right. Another door next to the bathroom hid a stairwell to the second story. Beyond that was a snug little dining room connected to a slightly larger living area. The upstairs hosted two bedrooms. A closet by the stairs hid a secret second set of stairs that led down to the basement – a basement the other houses on their block did not have.

The neighbors thought they were a band of particularly gifted musicians who were a part of one of the many orchestral groups in Neverwinter. Kravitz might have been the only one of the three who used actual bardic magic, but they all played. It was a good cover and provided a convenient excuse for their sometimes lengthy absences.

The work of urban bounty hunting wasn’t exactly a regular nine to five job, after all.

What they did wasn’t strictly illegal, of course; the guards posted bounties that they could choose from. It was _technically_ true that they worked with the militia, although in practice, things did not always line up with the militia’s wishes. It was safer for everyone around them not to know what they did. And, well, not _everything_ they did was strictly legal, either.

The Raven Queen – so named by her enemies, but that she enjoyed and took for herself – had originally set up her little band of vigilantes without the bounty hunting aspect in mind. There was justice in her work, justice that the city guard overlooked. The posted rewards were helpful for funding her work, and it was easy to pick and choose which jobs to do. It was simply that sometimes, she decided those jobs were immoral and possibly chose to help out the other side instead.

They weren’t technically on the other side of the law, at least as far as the city guard could prove, but the guard knew and disliked the crest of the Raven Queen.

But that was one of the reasons they didn’t just work out of Neverwinter anyway. Kravitz’ last job had been in Goldcliffe – technically, the case he was still on. He was supposed to be tailing a corrupt casino mogul who shafted his patrons by making bad loans, whose enemies routinely vanished without a trace.

Probably what Kravitz’ companions thought had happened to him.

Kravitz didn’t like to admit it out loud, but casinos were a bit of a sore spot for him. It was frighteningly easy to fall into the trap of trying to win back his losses, and he’d been in trouble for it more than once. Most humiliatingly of all was the fact that he had gotten distracted by the roulette wheel while investigating his mark and ended up falling into the very trap he was trying to dismantle. Within a week, he had racked up 40,000 gold in debt. And then, Greg Grimauldis himself knew who Kravitz was and was sending his goons out to chase him into some mysterious woods.

Kravitz wasn’t an idiot. He knew the way these places worked. Gambling wasn’t a sustainable way to make money for anyone but the one who owned the casino. He knew the chances of him making up his losses weren’t any higher than what he had had to lose them in the first place.

But when you got on a streak, it was easy to dismiss losses. It was easy to consider them a fluke. It was easy to say, “Next time, I’ve got this,” and spin the wheel again.

He had been at the Diamond Stallion – more recently known as the Grand Grimauldis Casino – for a reason: to gather intel on Grimauldis’ practices. Intel, that was it. Watch the other patrons of the casino get in too deep and end up in the mogul’s debt, and then find out what exactly happened to those people. Becoming one of those people hadn’t exactly been part of the plan. Maybe someday, in a carefully calculated loss...

...but that was a thought for a different day.

The house was empty, as a quick run through told him. The locks were the same, and no dust had collected on the commonly used items. There wasn’t much food in the pantry, but the there were still dirty dishes in the sink. His compatriots were out, maybe on their own missions, but it hadn’t been more than a week since they had showed up.

Well, there was little to do than to wait, then. He should get in contact with the Raven Queen as soon as he could, but that involved admitting to what had happened at the casino, which was something he would like to reserve for _after_ he got the dirt on Grimauldis. He could only hope, for his own sake and Taako’s, that Lup and Barry would show up sooner rather than later.

He spent the next few hours going through the house and making sure all the subtle magic defenses were still intact. There were no notes from his partners, probably since they didn’t expect him back. He hoped they weren’t out looking for him.

While he waited, he decided to do something useful. He found a heavy old atlas in the bookshelf and opened it up to look at the maps of the area surrounding Waterdeep. It took some searching, but eventually he found the town of Glamour Springs, hidden within the forests of the Felicity Wilds. He wondered if people still drew it on new maps, or if everyone really had just forgotten about it.

He hadn’t.

And he couldn’t be wrong. He just couldn’t. Taako didn’t understand, of course, but Kravitz’ roommate looked almost _identical_ to that painting. Lup never talked about her past – none of them did, really, but with her, it was different. She claimed she didn’t have a past, that she had sprung from the earth fully formed. Barry told a different story about finding her, dazed and confused with no memory of who she was or where she had come from in a little town called Phandalin.

If Lup had been forgotten by everyone, including her own twin brother, then it wouldn’t be a stretch for _her_ to have forgotten everything about herself as well.

The problem was, Kravitz didn’t know of _any_ kind of magic powerful enough to just erase someone’s existence like that. Taako himself didn’t even seem convinced that there had ever been space in his life for someone else. Kravitz wondered if they had been separated as children and only came together in the castle, or if the magic was so overpoweringly pervasive that it created _new_ memories to fill in the gaps of losing the old ones.

There was one person he suspected could answer his questions. But he hadn’t the vaguest idea of where to find Lucretia.

He decided to copy the map. There was always the chance that he would lose his compass, and while he knew the general way back, some good reminders would be useful too – especially if it took him a while to find Lup back. He made sure to indicate exactly where the old castle was.

By the time the map was copied, it was dusk outside. He raided the cupboards for whatever was left on the shelves and then slept in his own bed for the first time in months.

In the morning, there was still no sign of Barry or Lup. He had to go out today to get some food for breakfast, so he bundled up and headed out. He had some money still from Taako, but there was also some stashed around the safe house as an emergency stash. If Barry and Lup didn’t show up today, he figured, he would own up and try to get in touch with the Raven Queen. She would hopefully know where his partners were.

It was still late winter, and although the city’s name boasted otherwise, Neverwinter was just as cold and blustery as Glamour Springs had been. Kravitz didn’t mind the cold so much, but the wind was nor particularly enjoyable. He headed for a street market area located near the house.

He knew how to be aware of his surroundings without seeming to be, keenly aware of every detail around him. But you wouldn’t have had to be particularly good at such a skill to notice the tail he had picked up about a block away from the safe house. The halfling had been leaning against a light post, smoking, and watching people going by. He wasn’t even being subtle about it. When he saw Kravitz, he shrugged his leather jacket more tightly around him and started walking in the same direction. The brazenness was appalling.

Kravitz took a somewhat longer, more meandering route to the market to see if his tail was as poor as he thought it was. The leather jacketed halfling stayed with him very obviously, even though the circular route, apparently not giving a damn about how conspicuous he was being.

Well, there were plenty of ways to lose a tail. Kravitz just wanted to get some groceries before he bothered. It would be best to not alert his tail that he knew he was being followed, although he might have guessed from the route they had taken. Either way, Kravitz was fairly certain there wouldn’t be any sort of ambush in a busy marketplace.

He opted to only get one bag of food. If they were looking for him in Neverwinter, he couldn’t stay. He would leave a message for Lup and Barry and then get back on the first train out. Maybe he would swing around through Rockport and hop trains to get them off his trail. It wasn’t his first choice of activities, but he didn’t need the trouble right now.

On his way back to the safe house, he took a small detour, doubling back on himself and then vaulting over a small wall into someone’s backyard to shake his tail. A halfling probably wasn’t going to be able to investigate where he had gone without a little time, even if he had a levitate spell. Kravitz used that extra time to hop another fence and, a few houses down, emerge onto the main street again.

His tail was nowhere to be seen, but he wasn’t going to risk it. The tail might have been obvious on purpose to hide a second, more obscure tail. He headed down the first side street he saw and then headed in the direction of the nearest passage into the underground tunnels. Grimauldis’ goons would know about the tunnels connected to the sewers if they were from Neverwinter, but Kravitz was banking on him going local. Bigwigs with a lot of money liked to keep as much of that money as possible, and so he had probably absorbed a local gang with a leader who already owed him money. Easy muscle.

Kravitz wasn’t going to rely on that assumption, though. He quickly made his way back to the safe house via the underground tunnels. He didn’t quite dare leave the basement, in case they knew which house to watch – unlikely, but possible. His things were still upstairs, but they kept extra cash and clothing down in the basement for this very reason.

The first thing he did take a quick look through the periscope that let him view the yard and the street in front of the house, cleverly disguised as part of their decorative mailbox. It was hidden behind a surface opaque when light shown on it, which was almost all the time, considering the lamppost in front of the house. From inside, you could see out in any light. It gave a three quarters view of the area outside the house.

Kravitz waited until the street was clear. Then he tugged on a rope on a pulley, switching out the green banner in the front window for a yellow one. _Caution_.

Then, that finished, he grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and wrote a quick message:

> Sorry for going MIA. May have been followed. Meet me in Waterdeep ASAP. Very important.
> 
> -K

He quickly packed up a few changes of clothes, enough food for a few meals, a small sum of gold, a dagger, and whatever he still had on his person – the compass, most notably. Then it was time to go. He sighed. He would have rather liked to stay in his actual home for at least a few days before being chased back out.

He took the tunnels to another neighborhood nearer to the train station and headed that way. There were no halflings waiting for him here. He bought a ticket to Rockport and then milled about the busy station while he waited for the train. Still no goons, but one couldn’t be too careful. At the last minute, he switched platforms and boarded the crowded train to Waterdeep instead. He flashed his ticket to Rockport to the conductor quickly and moved on before he could get called out on it.

In spite of paranoid checking, he didn’t see anyone else that struck him as particularly suspicious on the train. He wasn’t about to relax on the trip or anything, but he felt reasonably certain that no one was going to bother him.

The ride was fairly uneventful. The train pulled up in Waterdeep that evening, just after sunset, and Kravitz let out a breath. If his ruse worked, he should be able to get to the Waterdeep safe house within the hour.

The train platform for the Neverwinter Express was always busy when a train was due, filled with crowds of people bustling to and fro, on and off the train. Even so, there was one group of about five people who managed to have plenty of room to stand and wait. People avoided them, flowing around them like they were stones in a river.

It wasn’t hard to see why. The members of the group all had similar leather jackets, although a few of them had the jackets off to show off biceps thicker than Kravitz’ thighs. Most of them were smoking, and they seemed to sport similar hairstyles, slicked back with so much grease that their hair shone in the lights of the station. The train station had a no weapon policy, but no one had bothered taking their baseball bats, clubs, and maces away from them.

Kravitz also wished to avoid this group of ne’er-do-wells. He buried himself deeply in the crowd, not acknowledging the group, and winced internally when they joined the flow of people behind him.

People were still attempting to get away from the group, and anyone not fortunate to get out of their way on time got forcibly shoved to the side. There was no way this was a coincidence. He began pushing his way through the crowd as well, trying to put more distance between him and them.

The crowd worked in his favor when he reached the stairwell leading down to the main floor. It served as bottleneck for the large group of people trying to pass through. He was able to slip through the crowd much more efficiently than a whole group was. In a stairwell like this, there wasn’t anyone for the group to push people into.

Of course, that only worked when they stayed as a group. Kravitz got through the door ahead of them, but he wasn’t ten steps into the station when he felt a large hand on his shoulder.

He glanced back to see a large human with the same slicked back hair and leather jacket as the others.

“Can...I help you?” he asked, doing his best confused expression.

“Yeah, Kravitz, you sure can,” the man said in a Goldcliffe accent, squeezing Kravitz’ shoulder. “We just wanna have a talk with ya.”

“Yeah!” called a smaller human from behind him. “A talk!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter to make up for that shorty last week! For clarification: the Raven Queen is just a regular person in this story. I realized too late that it was very confusing to make it "d&d world basically" and then have RQ as a person, so I'm sorry for that.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you are staying safe and that my story could be a little distraction, if you need one! I know I do. If you enjoyed, please consider leaving me a comment or a kudo? They are so, so helpful in keeping me motivated. I'm behind on replying to comments from last week's update (boyos, it has been a _week_ ), but I'll do my best to get on that soon!
> 
> If you want to talk or hang out on social media, you can find me on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). Thank you for reading!!


	14. Through the Darkness and the Shadows

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bard has run into some not so unexpected trouble upon leaving the castle, and now he has some unwanted company as he's forced to make his way back to the little town of Glamour Springs. Hopefully, his warning comes through in time.
> 
> Kravitz goes for a walk. Taako has some fun. Merle does a thing with plants.

Kravitz had gone with them willingly. There wasn’t a point in resisting when there wasn’t a chance he would be able to fight them or escape. His best option was to try and talk himself out of trouble and hope they didn’t beat the shit out of him. It wasn’t a _great_ plan, but sometimes, you had to make due with what you had.

They brought him to an abandoned warehouse a few miles away. It was filled with battle wagons in various states of disrepair, ranging from ones appearing nearly race ready to ones clearly being used for parts. The thugs took all of his things, including the few gold pieces he had remaining, his dagger, and the compass. Then they sat him in a chair. He was not bound in any way, but the burly guy from before stood behind him with his hands on Kravitz’ shoulders.

“Hey, Maarvey,” called a third, lankier human into an adjacent room. “We caught the crook in the train station, just like you said!”

“Yeah?” replied a somewhat deeper voice. There was the sound of someone shutting a drawer, and then Maarvey – a man Kravitz knew as the leader of the Hammerhead Gang – appeared in the entrance. He was carrying a long metal rod that Kravitz didn’t much care for the look of. “So it went good, huh? No problems?”

“None.”

“See, Little Jerry? You stay away from the tracks, and the trains ain’t got no way to come get you.”

“You were right, boss!” the smallest guy replied.

“So.” Maarvey stepped in front of Kravitz, smacking the rod against his palm as he slowly paced in front of the chair. “Kravitz. Nice t’ finally meet ya. You’re a hard man to track down.”

“Yes, well,” Kravitz replied. “I ran into a bit of trouble with all the snow. Small towns, no one to clear the roads, you know the type.”

“Awful convenient,” Maarvey said. “Old Blue Eyes has been lookin’ for you. It seems you owe him a bit of money.”

“I’m aware,” Kravitz said, keeping his voice calm and modulated.

Maarvey took a step closer. “Old Blue Eyes don’t much _like_ it when people owe him money and then _disappear_ , Kravitz.”

“That’s understandable,” Kravitz said. “I wouldn’t much care for that either.”

“You got the money, buddy?”

“Not on me. I can get it.” It wasn’t entirely a lie. Taako would _probably_ loan him the money. He certainly owned enough expensive items that it wouldn’t put him out much to pawn a few of them. It would mean coming clean about Kravitz’ embarrassing personal problems, but if he could get these jerks off his back, it might just be worth it.

“Ooooh, you hear that, boys? He can get the money,” Maarvey exclaimed, laughing. “Never heard _that_ one before.”

The other Hammerheads around him started laughing too.

“And where, exactly, is a fuckin’ guy like you gonna pull 45,000 gold coins from, huh?” Maarvey asked derisively.

“It’s 40,000,” Kravitz replied, frowning.

“Well, the interest keeps addin’ up,” Maarvey explained.

“Yeah! It adds up!” Little Jerry added.

“That’s right. And now it’s 45,000. So where you gettin’ cash like that?”

Kravitz sighed. He should have realized Grimauldis would tack on some unfair interest. The Hammerheads might also be taking a cut for themselves.

“See that compass? It was a gift from someone who has a lot more fancy magical stuff where that came from,” he explained. “I was just on my way to go talk to him, actually. So I’ll get the money while I’m there.”

Maarvey set aside the rod and picked up the compass instead, turning it over in his hands. “Pretty nice,” he said, sounding a little surprised. He popped it open, and his expression turned to a scowl. “Oh, except it’s fuckin’ busted. What are you tryin’ to pull here?”

Kravitz’ face didn’t move, but inside, he was cursing himself for forgetting to turn it back to a regular compass.

“What’s it doin’?” the lanky guy asked, looking over Maarvey’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s pointin’ south! What good’s a compass that points south?”

Maarvey moved the compass around, and his eyebrows raised. “Wait a second. This ain’t broken at all.”

“It ain’t?” asked Little Jerry.

“No. You said this was a magical compass, right? Well, it’s always pointin’ toward _something_. What’s it pointin’ at, Kravitz?”

“How would I know? I was taking it to town to find somewhere to get it fixed,” Kravitz replied flatly, rolling his eyes. “What do magical items usually point to? A horrible monster, probably.”

“A monster, huh? Sounds like someone is trying to hide something,” Maarvey replied, snorting. “I bet it leads right back to his pal who’s got all the riches.”

“You think he really has a pal like that, boss?” asked one of the other goons.

“There’s one way to find out.”

“Be my guest,” Kravitz said, gesturing toward the compass. “Enjoy finding the house of some weird, senile wizard who couldn’t find his way home, or whatever. Can I go see my friend and get you your money now?”

“A senile wizard’s house?” one of the thugs asked, sounding confused.

“Sure. Why else would you enchant a compass to point the wrong direction, unless you couldn’t find your own way home?” Kravitz asked.

“You know what?” Maarvey said, snapping the compass shut again and putting it in his pocket. “No. You can’t go. It seems to me that your rich ‘friend’ _is_ the senile wizard, and you’re stealing this shit out of his pocket. Would make sense that you’d take the key to getting back to his place with you. Barbara, get some ropes for our own ‘friend,’ will ya?”

“Sure thing, Maarvey!” the lanky one – Barbara, apparently – said before disappearing.

“Wait, what? You’re going on some fucked up treasure hunt and tying me up here before you leave?” Kravitz asked, bewildered.

“Oh. You misunderstand, my friend,” Maarvey said, smiling widely. “You’re comin’ with us.”

* * *

It was full dark by the time Maarvey decided to follow the compass, and it was decided that they wouldn’t set out until the morning. Kravitz was subsequently tossed into a tiny room with a blanket for the evening. The room had been stripped of anything seemingly useful. There was a window, but it was locked and too small to climb out of anyway.

The Hammerheads didn’t seem to know, however, that Kravitz was capable of performing magic. His focus was disguised as an earring, and all he needed was his own voice to cast. Two quick spells later, and he was reasonably sure he had done just about everything he could.

And so, first thing in the morning, they were on their haphazard route to Taako’s castle. There was a group of fifteen of them making the journey, not including Kravitz. Besides Maarvey, Little Jerry, and Barbara, there was Jerree, Ross, Three Toed Kevin, Patrick, Jerryy with two Ys, Dean, Bo the Spider (not actually a spider), Kevin (with the normal amount of toes), Eddie, Freddie, Betty, and Joe.

The path was rough going. The compass didn’t point toward the roads leading to Glamour Springs. It just pointed the exact direction. Maarvey and the other Hammerheads had determined that heading straight into the forest, ignoring the perfectly serviceable road a mile in the wrong direction, was the best course of action.

They pushed through the trees, and Kravitz staggered along with them. He was tired, sore, and hungry. They had bound his hands in front of him and attached a rope which Barbara was holding onto. So far, he was keeping pace with them, but he had no doubt that they would drag him along if they needed to.

They were forced to camp again that evening, stuck in the middle of the thick woods, although Kravitz knew they had to be getting close to the castle.

Morale was getting low. The Hammerheads were a city gang; the outdoors life didn’t seem to appeal to them very much. The weather was dry, but it was still cold enough that the snow hadn’t melted entirely. Little Jerry was huddled close to the fire, nervously glancing around every time he heard a wolf in the distance. Two of the others were circling the camp with crossbows. Kravitz didn’t know how much practice they had with those crossbows, but he was somewhat reassured. He also didn’t think the wolves would try for such a big group, unless they were all asleep at the same time. Considering they had a prisoner, Kravitz was pretty sure they wouldn’t be.

“How much further you think we gotta go?” Jerree asked miserably, warming a pot of canned beans over the fire.

“The compass don’t say that much, idiot,” Maarvey said, smacking him in the back of the head. “I don’t have a fuckin’ clue.”

“My feet hurt, boss!” Little Jerry whined.

“I know, Little Jerry, but we gotta keep goin’,” Maarvey said in a much more sympathetic tone. Everyone, it seemed, loved Little Jerry. “Just think of all the treasures we’re gonna find when we get there. We’ll be rich!”

“Yeah...we’ll be rich,” Little Jerry said thoughtfully. “Yeah!”

“We just gotta keep on goin’,” Maarvey said.

“You have no idea where we’re even going,” Kravitz pointed out. “All you have is a direction. What if it leads nowhere? What if we get stuck wandering around these woods until we run out of food?”

“Then we’ll gotta sacrifice someone and eat _them_ ,” Maarvey said, giving Kravitz what was probably meant to be a threatening look.

Kravitz cocked an eyebrow. “Then you’ll never get paid.”

“We’ll get paid plenty once we get where this thing leads.”

“You’re assuming a lot from a silly, old compass.”

Maarvey snorted. “I know a magic artifact when I see one,” he said. “This compass points to _something_ , and it points to something _good_.”

“There are so many things this compass could point to that aren’t treasure,” Kravitz persisted. “What if it was a romantic gesture? Some lonely wizard enchants a compass to give his true love before her father moves her away so that she’ll always be able to find her way back to him?”

Maarvey eyed him. “Seems to me that you know what’s there and are tryin’ to get us scared to keep going after it,” he said.

“Maybe I just would rather not get eaten by wolves, or by you guys, apparently,” Kravitz retorted, rolling his eyes. “Your whole plan is bad.”

“Yeah? What would you do to figure out where this things leads, then?” Barbara countered.

“Easy. I’d get out a map and a ruler and mark a line on the map in the direction it was pointing. Then I’d look for any thing significant along that line, like a town or something,” Kravitz said. “And I would start by traveling to those locations. Not just...packing a backpack of food and going on a trek through the forest. For all you know, this thing leads to something on the other side of Faerun.”

There was a moment of silence from the Hammerheads as they realized, he assumed, that he was absolutely right.

“...maybe we should think about goin’ back, boss,” Jerree said.

“No,” Maarvey snapped. “He’s tryin’ to pull somethin’ on us. I _know_ he is.”

“But...I don’t wanna eat a guy,” Little Jerry put in.

Maarvey sighed. “We ain’t actually gonna eat him, Little Jerry,” he groaned. “We talked about this. Sometimes I say things I don’t mean as an intimidation tactic.”

“But...then what _will_ we eat if we run out of food?”

“We ain’t gonna run out of food. Listen, we’ll go for one more day. Just one more day! And if we don’t find nothing, we’ll turn around and come back,” Maarvey promised.

So much for buying time. Kravitz was fairly certain they would stumble across the castle sooner rather than later, even at the slow pace they were making. The problem was that he had done everything he could get away with to turn them back, short of trying to charm them. But there was no way he was going to be able to charm all of them, and the spell only lasted an hour anyway, after which they would know what had happened...

No, it was better to keep quiet for now and save his spell slots for when they got to the castle. He could only hope that Taako had gotten his message and was planning accordingly.

* * *

They came across the ghost town of Glamour Springs at about noon the day following, much to the delight of the Hammerheads. The excitement didn’t die down even when they realized the city was empty. That made Maarvey’s theory of some old treasure all the more likely to the group.

A fresh layer of snow had fallen over the town during the night, and while it didn’t completely disguise the fact that this road was actually traveled from time to time, it certainly made it a little harder to notice. Kravitz didn’t know if those in the castle had any idea that they were coming, but if the Hammerheads thought the entire place was empty, Taako and the others would have the advantage initially.

“Look, boss,” Jerree called after scouting ahead a bit. “There’s a big ol’ castle over that way.”

The group moved forward, Barbara still dragging Kravitz along, until they were in the clearing that paved the way to the castle. The gates that protected the bridge over the ravine were closed and locked. Beyond the bridge, the little castle stood, looking for all the world like an old, empty castle. For the first time, Kravitz was glad for the general state of disrepair.

None of the windows were lit, there was no smoke from the chimney, and the fresh snow covered the walkway. In the sun of noontime, the crystalized tower almost seemed to glow.

“There it is! That’s our prize, boys. The compass is pointin’ right at that castle!” Maarvey said excitedly. He was moving from side to side, holding the compass out in front of him. Kravitz couldn’t see it, but he knew the arrow must be moving with him, now that they were so close.

A cheer went up from the Hammerheads, and the lot of them stampeded over to the locked gates. The burliest of the group, Betty, went up and shoulder rammed the gate. The whole thing shook, nearly buckling under his onslaught. He slammed into it over and over again until the lock finally broke altogether, sending the gates springing open, crooked on their hinges.

“Hey,” Maarvey said as they stepped out onto the bridge. “This scum goes first, in case they left any traps for us.” He shoved Kravitz out into the front of the procession.

“Aren’t you a rogue?” Kravitz countered. “Are you saying you’re that bad at finding traps that you need someone to walk in front of you?”

“Need? Nah. But I might as well. You’re expendable,” Maarvey replied, snorting derisively.

“Yeah! Expendable!” chimed in Little Jerry.

“Well, get to it, Kravitz,” Barbara said, pushing him forward onto the bridge.

That was fine, Kravitz told himself as he sighed and started walking forward. He kept his eye out for traps, but the bridge seemed untouched, from what he could tell. If Taako and the others were watching the group approach, they would know Kravitz was with them, and they would see that his hands were bound in front of him. If they were staging an ambush, it would be more convenient if Kravitz was ahead of the group a little ways.

Nothing happened, though, on the way across the bridge. The castle loomed silently.

The heavy wooden door to the castle was solid and strong, and this one, Betty’s strong shoulder could not budge. Instead of giving up, though, Betty and Patrick found a large stone that had fallen off the railing of the bridge and hoisted it up. They carried it over to the door and slammed it hard against the sturdy wood.

The whole castle seemed to shake a little with each blow, snow falling from the roof and the door and window frames. Finally, the door buckled. The wood splintered around the handle and swung inward with a low groan.

Again, the Hammerheads cheered. Betty and Patrick discarded the huge stone, and Maarvey prodded Kravitz forward again.

Kravitz stumbled blindly into the entrance hall. It was dark. The sunlight that filtered through the door and dirty windows only lit the first ten feet or so, and the wall sconces were left unlit. After the brightness of the sun on the snow outside, he was momentarily blinded.

“I can’t see anything,” he said.

Maarvey muttered a curse behind him, and someone handed him a lantern. A dim, yellow light cast a glow ahead of them. It wasn’t big enough to fill the entire entrance hall, but it was enough to show Kravitz that things had changed since he had left.

When he had been before, the hall had been mostly empty, apart from various decorations lining the edges. There had been no furniture apart from fancy candelabras lining the way.

But now, the way was lined with all sorts of odd things. There were bookshelves filled with books, barrels, drink carts, end tables with silver cream jugs on top, chairs, a credenza, jars, a spinning globe on a stand, pedestals with flower vases, large wooden chests, a coat rack, and even a huge chiffrobe, all neatly arranged at the sides of the carpeted section of the floor. It made a little corridor down the center of the room, maybe ten feet wide.

“What the fuck is goin’ on in here?” Barbara asked in a hushed voice. “Who stacks furniture like this? Is this some kind of trap?”

“Yeah, it’s real weird, ain’t it, boss?” Little Jerry whispered. There were murmurs of agreement from the other Hammerheads.

“Keep walkin’, Kravitz,” Maarvey snarled. “If it’s a trap, he’ll be the one to spring it.”

Kravitz did expect it was some sort of trap, but he couldn’t see any sort of tripwire or pressure plate or anything else that would indicate some sort of trigger. The light from Maarvey’s lantern wasn’t bright enough for him to really be able to see anything like a trap.

But then again, the compass had pointed them here. That meant Taako hadn’t left. Was he waiting to manually spring a trap?

He stepped forward into the hall. Nothing happened. He began walking slowly, looking around at the enormous hall. The shadows were disconcerting as they leapt off the strange assortment of furniture. Maarvey and the others hesitantly followed him inside. The place was nearly silent, apart from their footsteps and quiet breathing.

“What’s the compass say, boss?” Jerree whispered.

“Straight ahead,” Maarvey replied.

Kravitz squinted into the darkness, but if Taako was there, he couldn’t see him.

The group continued forward, until every last one of them was inside. He was aware of the sound of the Hammerheads drawing their weapons – mostly clubs, knives, baseball bats, and swords. They were waiting for an attack. There could still be an ambush, but it would be less effective with all of them waiting for it.

“ _ **NOW!**_ ”

Taako’s voice rang out through the hall, echoing so much Kravitz couldn’t tell where it was coming from. He barely had time to look before the chiffrobe just behind him abruptly threw its door open, directly into Barbara’s face.

He whipped around just in time to see the row of cream jugs leap off the table, splashing scalding hot water onto Three Toed Kevin and Eddie. Beyond them, a bookshelf started shooting out books straight at Ross and Bo the Spider. A drink cart shot down the aisle, savagely slamming into Little Jerry so hard that it knocked him right over.

It was absolute chaos.

Barbara had dropped Kravitz’ rope, so he took off running down the little corridor. None of the furniture was attacking him. He hopped over a chair, crossing behind the furniture near the door to the servants’ quarters.

Ren was standing by the door, frowning in concentration and holding up a wand. Magnus was peeking out of the door, a battle ax in hand, and he grinned and gave Kravitz a thumbs up when he saw him.

“If you know animate object,” Ren murmured, “now would be a _great_ time to use it. We can only animate a few things at a time.”

“ _Oh_.” That explained that. “I do – just, I’m a little tied up at the moment – ”

“Aw, Kravitz, you need a hand?” Sloane’s voice piped up from behind him. He jumped and turned. She was grinning and armed to the teeth with knives. She used one to slice through the ropes easily. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” he said, shaking the ropes free. “Where’s Taako?”

“Over there,” Magnus stage whispered, pointing to the alcove in front of the dead fireplace at the rear of the hall. “Merle’s with him. Julia’s upstairs with Killian. Carey and Hurley are on the other side of the hall. Cap’n’port is here too.” Davenport peeked out from behind Magnus’ legs and gave Kravitz a thumbs up. “You know, in case we can’t scare them off with moving furniture.” Magnus gestured urgently toward the fight.

Kravitz winced, watching a beautiful old desk getting smashed with a baseball bat.

“Okay, I’ve got this,” he said. He took a deep breath. Animate objects was not an easy spell to cast, easily one of the highest level ones he knew. He also didn’t get to use it all that often, but really, it was one of his favorites. He closed his eyes and started to sing.

The coat rack swung around and hit Betty with bone crunching force straight in his face. A barrel toppled over and rolled straight into Little Jerry, knocking him flat on his back. A drawer shot out of an end table and caught Barbara right in the junk.

Maybe Kravitz was having a little bit too much fun with this.

The Hammerheads were taking some serious hits, but the furniture was not faring so well either. Splinters of wood and broken glass littered the area, and the Hammerheads were bruised and bleeding but still standing. Magnus had his hands gripped tightly on his ax, looking to almost be in pain from watching the beautiful furniture get smashed. Kravitz wondered how much of it he had carved personally. He wondered what the others were waiting for, exactly.

A few of the objects fell still, and out of the corner of his eye, Kravitz saw Taako move forward out of the alcove. He spread his hands and, without further warning, all the wall sconces, all the fancy candelabras still standing upright, even the massive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling – all of it lit up, bathing the area in light. Kravitz winced, throwing an arm in front of his eyes

Taako cut an impressive figure, with his jet black fur so dark it seemed to absorb the light and mask his ghoulish features. He was wearing all black and red, complete with a billowing cape that made the way his legs bent unnaturally more striking. His claws were still shorter than the massive, deadly things they had been when Kravitz had first arrived, but they were longer than he normally kept them since. He grinned, his mouth too wide and his teeth too many and too sharp. His golden eyes glittered with the light of a hundred candles.

“I just _love_ it when _dessert_ wanders right into my castle,” he snarled, his inhuman voice booming through the hallway. “Not my standard fare, by any means, but you’ll do. Stick around, boys! The feast’s just begun!” He began laughing.

Little Jerry screamed and turned around, dashing out of the castle as fast as his tiny legs would carry him. A few of the other Hammerheads backed toward the door.

“What, is a bunch of fighting furniture your only trick?” Maarvey shouted. “C’mon, boys! The compass is pointin’ straight ahead. You know what that means! Let’s find that treasure! This monster bleeds like all the rest!!”

Maarvey’s confidence seemed to bolster the remaining Hammerheads, much to Kravitz’ dismay. The spectacle had been incredible. He knew first hand how terrifying Taako could be when he wanted to be.

But Taako wasn’t done yet. From the angle Kravitz was at, he could see Merle standing behind Taako, his arms raised in the air and mouthing something. He was hidden from view from the Hammerheads. Taako gestured, bringing his clawed hands up, and as he did so, Merle activated whatever spell he was casting.

The flowers in the vases – somehow all still surviving the chaos earlier – suddenly began to grow. Thorny vines spread wildly out of the vases and crisscrossed over the tables they were on. Soon, they were spreading across the carpet, entwining with feet and legs. Immediately, the chaos started up again as the Hammerheads slashed wildly at their feet, desperate to free themselves.

“All right, everybody!” Magnus shouted. “Let’s do this!” He grinned as he rushed straight into the fray. Sloane followed him, sleek as an arrow and almost invisible, even in the light. From across the hallway, Hurley burst into view, her bo staff ready to crush some heads. Carey darted after her, knives in both hands and a grin on her face. From the second story, a crossbow bolt from Killian slammed into the ground in front of Jerree’s foot, and Julia followed up with a volley of arrows from her bow. Ren and Davenport began an onslaught of spells, and Taako too was weaving his wand through the air.

Kravitz was already low on spell slots, and he had no weapons. But he did have a few words for the assholes who had caused all of this, and vicious mockery didn’t use a spell slot.

It was easy to be confident when Jerree was flailing wildly with a knife at the vine holding him upside down by the ankle. Kravitz shook his head. “You seem to be having a rough night,” he said, planting one hand on his hip.

“H-huh?” Jerree replied, pausing mid-flail to look at Kravtiz. “Hey man, lemme down, and I swear I’ll give you a good word with the boss! No hard feelings, yeah?”

Kravitz tilted his head to the side. “Poor guy. I’ve met butter knives sharper than you are,” he said. He smiled wanly as his earring began to glow faintly.

“Jeez! What’re you _doin’?_ ” Jerree cried, dropping his knife in favor of clutching his head. The vines wrapped further around his leg.

“Goddamn it! Cut ‘em free, boys! They’re just fuckin’ _plants_ , for fuck’s sake!” Maarvey shouted. He had managed to slice up the vines around him and was trying to cut Freddie free too. He abandoned that endeavor with a curse and stood up again, grabbing the crossbow off of his back. It was already loaded, and he pointed it straight ahead of him.

“Taako!” Kravitz shouted in alarm.

Taako dove to his left and Merle to his right, the heavy crossbow bolt slamming into the wall behind them.

“Looks like it can be hurt!” Maarvey shouted. “Kill these idiots and take whatever treasure you can find, boys! I’m gonna kill that beast!!”

Taako paused like he was going to fire off another spell, but Maarvey had already reloaded the crossbow and was lining up for another shot. Taako seemed to think the better of it and took off for the closest door. Once he had a little cover, he shot off a fire bolt that went wide. Maarvey cursed and took off running after him.

Kravitz was much closer to Merle and was helping him to his feet as the two of them disappeared down the hallway.

“You okay?” he asked Merle.

“I’m good, kid. We got this here, you go after that hotshot,” Merle replied, grabbing his bible and paging it open. “Make sure he doesn’t get himself killed. Oh, and tell him I finished the thing, okay?”

“What thing?”

Merle told him and nodded toward the door.

And Kravitz went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, we're in the homestretch now, lads! We have roughly 4-5 chapters left, if everything goes according to plan.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please consider letting me know with a comment or a kudo! I super appreciate them, and they motivate me to keep on going.
> 
> If you want to find me off of AO3, check out my tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and my twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack).


	15. Kill the Beast!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bard has brought trouble with him back to the castle. The thugs don't know that there is no treasure to find, and they'll stop at nothing to find it. Now the monster's life is in danger while the bard does everything he can to save him.
> 
> Taako does things that aren't brooding. Kravitz has bad timing. The bad guy does some stuff too no spoilers.

Taako had _not_ spent the last week brooding, no matter what anyone said.

It was five days at most.

And it wasn’t _brooding_ , not really. He took regular breaks from staring moodily out the window, and he got snappish with his staff rather than giving dreary, monosyllabic replies to anyone who spoke to him, as one would expect from someone who was brooding.

Things just had to go back to how they were before Kravitz had showed up. He just had to stop expecting Kravitz to come by with his afternoon tea and stop wondering if he should invite Kravitz to eat dinner with him in the royal dining room and stop anticipating seeing Kravitz in the kitchen, helping with the dishes. He just had to smooth over the hurt of Kravitz leaving, because he was _Taako_ , and he didn’t need _anybody_ , so there was no _reason_ for it to hurt at all.

No big. Kravitz wasn’t the first to leave. He wouldn’t be the last, either. That was just how life was. Nobody ever stayed, and that was _fine_.

So what if sometimes Taako spent hours in his meditation pillow nest, staring blankly out the window as if to watch for Kravitz’ return? So what if he had forgotten to come downstairs for a couple of meals? That didn’t mean he was _brooding_.

Did people who were brooding storm downstairs and slam every door? Did they respond to every inquiry into his well-being with acerbic scorn? Did they complain to their perfectly competent cook that their food wasn’t the right texture, even though it was? No. Exactly. _Taako wasn’t brooding_.

No matter what Ren said.

What did she know anyway?

The spiraling stairwell leading up to Taako’s private chambers had a small landing where the door leading to the bedroom was. At the end of the landing, there were more stairs, steeper than the others to avoid hampering the view from the window. These stairs led to an open balcony far above the rest of the castle. It was covered with a simple roof up top, set on four narrow pillars, and a railing went around the circular edges. Apart from that, it was open to the outside.

That was where Taako was, not brooding. It was really too cold to be up here, and the wind was much stronger this high up, but he didn’t care. He was crouching, arms over the railing and chin on his arms. He stared blankly over the woods.

To the tower’s left, its twin glittered eerily in the sunlight. The crystal had completely engulfed the inside of it, making it entirely impassable. The once open balcony mirroring the one he was in was filled with the jagged pink crystal. The way the sunlight reflected off of it was impossible to avoid, no matter how much he squinted. Just seeing that crystal made his skin itch and his chest tighten with claustrophobia.

It wasn’t a great feeling, especially since it was hard to ignore. He should have just gone inside, but he didn’t feel like making life easy for himself at the moment.

It had been ten years ago now, but he would never forget that fight, if one could even call it that. He had always known Lucretia was powerful, in spite of being a century younger than him. She was naturally gifted enough to win the position of the castle wizard at such a young age, even for a human, after all.

And that was why he had felt the need to supplement his own power. It had been a stupid idea. He knew it now, and he had known it then. He had only accepted the stone as a gift because he wanted the favor of those offering it, and he had immediately tucked it away somewhere where no one would ever find it. He had trusted himself, at the time, to keep it in his possession and not use it, because he didn’t trust the intentions of the gift givers.

But he had been _furious_ with Lucretia when he realized what had befallen him. In the end, it had been his own fault, of course, but at the time it had been easier to put the blame on her. And when she showed up to tell him off _yet again_ , it was like something snapped inside of him. He had felt like he couldn’t stand it any longer. He was the _crown prince_ , the next in line to the throne of Felicity Wilds, and he was going to make sure that she knew it.

The stone laid right where he had put it, months ago when the King and the Queen had still deigned to speak to him, in a safe in his bedroom closet that even Davenport couldn’t open. The draw to use it had been more insistent than it ever had. It may have looked like a regular river stone, smooth and gray and small enough to fit into the palm of his hand, but the power radiating out of it betrayed its true purpose.

He had never gotten a chance to use the damn thing, though. Lucretia had cursed him even as he readied his first spell. He wondered, sometimes, if that stone clutched white-hot in his palm when the curse had hit had altered it somehow. After he had gotten free of the crystal, he had realized it was gone, and for all his searching of the area, he had never found it back.

Maybe that was why Lucretia was so cryptic about how to remove the curse. Maybe that was why she had never bothered turning him back herself. Maybe she didn’t know _how_.

Somewhere out there, Kravitz was sure he knew the answer to turning him back to the elf he had once been. Taako, on the other hand, knew better.

Yeah, it was stupid to want Kravitz to stay here. All the dumb _feelings_ as of late were really grating on him, when it came down to it. Taako didn’t _do_ affection. He literally couldn’t anymore. Sure, maybe he had some sort of real feelings for Kravitz, but that didn’t matter. It was too dangerous for him to touch anyone. And it wasn’t really very fair of him to subject someone else to a relationship that consisted only of conversation and the occasional mage hand holding, assuming Kravitz even felt the same way.

Which he probably didn’t.

So it didn’t even matter.

Taako continued his not-brooding for a while longer, shivering the cold, blustery wind this high up and considering going back inside. Something caught his attention, then. Over the years of disuse, a number of birds had taken up residence in the rafters of the open balcony, but between the weather and Taako’s presence, there weren’t any around. So when a cardinal fluttered up to the top of the tower and landed on the railing only about a foot away from him, it caught his attention.

“What do you want?” he asked, baring his fangs at it.

To his immense surprise, the bird opened its beak...and replied.

Sort of.

“Caught by thugs,” the bird said in a perfect recreation of Kravitz’ voice. “At least ten, maybe fifteen. They got the compass, think it leads to treasure. Will arrive in one to two days.” Kravitz’ voice was stilted, as if he was counting his words carefully. He probably was; Taako wasn’t familiar with any spells that allowed animals to work as messengers like this, but that sort of magic usually had a limit on the amount of words you could use.

The bird hopped a tiny bit closer. “Sorry,” Kravitz’ voice added, and then, cocking its head to the side, spread its wings and took off again.

“What the fuck?” Taako said.

Kravitz had been caught by...thugs? Thugs who wanted his compass? Somewhere between ten and fifteen of them? What the _fuck_ was Kravitz even _doing?_

There were ten residents of the castle, most of whom were at least somewhat trained in fighting. He didn’t know much about the so called thugs headed their way to look for treasure, but they had apparently captured Kravitz and taken his compass. He could probably assume they would put up a fight. Ten against fifteen wasn’t good odds, especially when nobody in the castle had had to actually _fight_ in a long time. Sure, they kept in shape, but there wasn’t a lot of time for military training.

They would need a plan to give them the advantage. Kravitz had said they were looking for treasure, which meant he had likely not disclosed anything about the castle. The compass hadn’t been particularly old or tarnished, but it was possible they would treat this like a treasure hunt rather than a castle raid. In that case, it might be wisest to make the castle look deserted. With a ghost town outside the front gate, it would be much easier than making it look like a fully functional castle with a guard and everything.

Then...then what? Taako didn’t want to fight anybody. If anything, he would be the one intruders would hunt down, figuring he was some sort of nasty monster that needed to be put down. He had never been much of a fighter, discarding his mandatory fencing classes for magic ones just as soon as Davenport would let him. He didn’t know how to fight with his claws either, not that they’d be useful for anything other than poisoning people filed down this far.

Could they just talk down the group of thugs? Seemed unlikely – again, they would run into the problem of someone seeing Taako and flipping their shit. Besides, the fact that Kravitz had described them as thugs made Taako think that they wouldn’t leave without a treasure or a fight. Telling someone like that that there was no treasure didn’t seem like it would be met with a simple, “Oh, sorry to bother you; I’ll be on my way, then.”

Fighting seemed like it should be a last ditch resort, but he also couldn’t just let a bunch of people run around unchecked in his castle. Maybe there was a way to keep them from wandering around. Maybe there was a way to get them just to leave.

There were spells to chase creatures off, but not ones Taako could reasonably cast. Antipathy only targeted one specific type of creature, and it didn’t discriminate between friend and foe. So if he chose humans, for instance, then Magnus and Julia would be affected by it too. Besides, he didn’t know if the thugs were human or elf or dwarf or whatever else.

Taako mulled over the problem for a moment longer before heading downstairs. This was a situation that concerned everyone, and maybe someone else would have some ideas.

* * *

In the end, it was Sloane’s idea to make the place look like a creepy, haunted museum, and it had been Ren’s idea to animate the furniture. They only had three wizards, so they had to choose carefully what furniture to animate, but Taako was particularly fond of the bookshelf that could throw its own books at people. Merle immediately pointed out that he could ‘encourage’ plant growth. All he needed was a few clippings from the vine he had been nurturing in the back of the castle. Davenport, a master of illusion magic, managed to conjure up illusions of some extra furniture to distract. Sloane set up some traps further into the castle, in case the diversion didn’t work.

Taako, of course, was down for a dramatic display of intimidation _any_ day. Merle could help too, so long as he was hidden near Taako. Thaumaturgy could easily light all the sconces in the hall without trouble, as well as make Taako’s voice echo threateningly around the hall.

And if none of that worked, well, everyone there either had some weapon training or magic proficiency. It was a risky plan, but it was unanimously agreed that it was their best chance.

Merle conjured up a snowstorm to hide their tracks through town while Julia and Killian took turns perching at the top of Taako’s tower to watch for the group. Magnus and Hurley and Carey dragged old furniture in from all over the castle and carefully arranged it in a way that would force any intruders down a narrow passage, so that they would be easier to target. They predetermined the best battle positions – Magnus, Hurley, Sloane, and Carey coming in from the sides, Julia and Killian on the upper balcony with their range weapons, and Taako, Davenport, and Ren staying back with Merle between them and trouble.

The anticipated attack, however, was a long time coming. Everyone was on edge as they waited. Once their traps were set, there wasn’t much left to do but wait. Normal chores were put off. Ren cooked light in case she had to stop in the middle of a meal. When night fell, Taako and Ren, both blessed with darkvision, split up the night watch. And then it was back to waiting.

Kravitz’ thugs weren’t trying to keep quiet. Carey spotted them before they even entered town, about thirty minutes before high noon. She couldn’t get an exact count, but once they had reached the clearing leading into town, she guessed about fifteen or so.

There was one thing, though, that Carey hadn’t seen from her vantage point, one that became clear after the door was forced open and the intruders pushed their way inside. Kravitz was with them, tired, unkempt, and dirty, with his wrists tied together in front of him. They forced him to lead the way. Taako, hidden in the darkness, scowled as he watched Kravitz’ eyes dart around the hall in confusion.

Ren and Davenport could see Kravitz too, so he wasn’t worried about Kravitz getting attacked by accident by the furniture. And he would have to pass by someone to get anywhere else in the castle, so if he had a chance to run, he’d be able to run straight to help.

Taako was _pissed as hell_.

The problem was that being angry about it didn’t help the plan go any better. It certainly gave them the advantage, but when all was said and done, when Taako rose up to intimidate them all into running back out, only one took the bait.

And now, embarrassingly enough, he was being chased down a hallway by a guy with a crossbow.

His first instinct had been to go find cover behind a doorway, but the human chasing him was too quick for that. As he dodged behind the door, another bolt shattered the wood and pierced through to the other side, getting stuck there.

Some people might argue that he was a coward, and maybe that was true. But what went through his mind when he realized he was being chased was that this was the gang’s leader on his tail. The leader was the one who had held the group together when Taako had threatened to eat them. The leader was the guy who gave the others orders.

Taako trusted his people to do what needed to be done. He wondered if the same could be said for their rivals.

And so he barely even bothered to burn spell slots on shielding spells as he raced toward his tower. Up at the top, there was no cover from crossbow bolts, but there also was barely room to fire a crossbow accurately. Magic was _far_ more versatile than weapons.

“What’s the matter, you monster? Ya scared of a little human?” his pursuer cackled, firing off another bolt.

“You think I’d just give up my treasure that easily?” Taako growled back, forcing his voice to be as grizzly and unnatural as possible. “I’ve nothing to fear from a shitty little twerp like you!”

“We’ll see about that!”

With any luck, the thug would assume Taako was running to protect his treasure and keep following. It seemed to be working so far.

When he got to the door leading up to the tower, he turned around and screamed at the thug, his wiry fur bristling as he took a wild swipe with his claws. The thug nearly slammed right into him, and, once regaining his balance, he let his crossbow fall to one hand while he grabbed a knife off his belt. He slashed out at Taako, catching him in the arm.

Taako’s hide was thick, and he healed unnaturally fast. When he had fought off the wolves to save Kravitz, it had hurt, but not nearly as much as it would have if he had still been an elf. But this knife cut through his tissue like it was butter, cutting a surprisingly painful gash in his forearm.

Great. Enchanted knives. Just what he needed.

He turned, slamming open the door, and scrambled up them as fast as he could.

* * *

Panting, enchanted knife still in hand, the man in the leather jacket emerged from the top of the stairs.

There was nothing up here to get in their way. Just a wide, clear area with a couple of railings between them and a very long drop. Taako was ready for him, long black cloak billowing behind him in the strong winds, claws at the ready and teeth bared.

“Nowhere left to run, monster,” the thug grinned, spinning his knife in his hand. “I’m gonna cut your heart out and then mount your head on my fuckin’ wall, or my name ain’t Maarvey.”

“Ugh,” Taako replied. “I guessed you were the tacky sort, with that jacket, but that’s just _gauche_. I bet your parties suck.”

Maarvey didn’t reply to that. Instead, he charged at Taako, the knife up and ready to strike. Taako blocked him with an arm against Maarvey’s forearm, throwing the slice wide. He began casting a spell while Maarvey was pressed against his arm, but then the knife drew back, and Maarvey went for another angle. Taako had to stop casting to block another attack.

Okay, so he had to move. Maarvey was stronger than he was, even in his monstrous form, but Taako had other advantages in this body. He sprang straight up into the air, his full height making it easy for him to grab the exposed rafters in the roof. He managed a hard kick to Maarvey’s chest before hauling himself up and over, landing five feet behind his attacker.

That gave him enough time to cast gust of wind, blowing straight at Maarvey. Maarvey threw his arms over his face, knife still in hand, as he was pushed back a few feet. But then he pulled the crossbow off his back and took aim. Taako’s concentration wavered as a flash of pain stabbed through his shoulder, wringing a pained howl from his throat.

Maarvey went back for the knife for close quarters combat, and Taako managed a shield spell to block the attack. His self defense training had been a very long time ago, and it had never been suited for this body. He had fought off the wolves before, but the last time he had really done any physical sparring had been when he had accidentally poisoned Hurley.

Taako didn’t want to poison anybody ever again, not even this asshole who had kidnapped Kravitz and invaded his castle. But he also didn’t want to die. His claws had grown a little since Kravitz had left, but they weren’t nearly the deadly barbs that had caught Kravitz’ arm months ago. It would be harder to get a hit in like this, but he could barely counter Maarvey’s stabs.

Fighting wolves was different than this. Wolves didn’t have knives or coordinated attacks. It was as easy as swinging his claws at them and casting a few burning hands to chase them off. When Taako slashed his claws at Maarvey, it served as an opening in his defenses, and he had to cut off another strangled cry as the enchanted blade cut deep into his thigh.

But he had managed a scratch on Maarvey’s arm at the same time. It wasn’t much – he couldn’t even tell if he had drawn blood or not – but it was _something_. He didn’t know how potent his venomous claws were, but any advantage would help him out right now.

He wasn’t flagging just yet, in spite of the screaming pain in his shoulder and thigh; the adrenaline kept him up and going.

Another slash, another block. Taako caught Maarvey’s wrist and tried to knock the knife out of his grip, but Maarvey tossed the blade and caught it in his other hand. Taako twisted out of the way just in time to avoid a slash across his chest. He swung around, but Maarvey managed to wrench his arm free.

Taako tried to deflect the next slash, but Maarvey caught him with a mean cut to his forearm. He took a step back, hissing in pain, but the gash in his thigh caused him to stumble slightly. Maarvey caught him across the arm again, deeper this time, and his blood splattered across Maarvey’s grinning face.

Maarvey laughed. “Not much of a monster, are you? Can barely even fight back!” he snarled.

That was just enough of a distraction for Taako to fire off a scorching ray. “Didn’t want you to get too discouraged straight up,” he gritted out, even though he was bleeding too much now to keep this up indefinitely. Something had to give, and soon.

Maarvey took all three fiery missiles to the chest, stumbling backwards with a grunt of surprise and pain. But he wasn’t down yet, and he wasn’t stopped for long. He patted at the singed areas of his jacket to make sure the flames were out before advancing with the knife again.

The distraction, however, was just enough time for Taako to cast blink. He was running dangerously low on spell slots, but he also needed every advantage he could get. He popped back into the plane directly behind a confused Maarvey, and he roared, raking his claws, one at a time, down Maarvey’s back. They weren’t strong enough to tear the strong leather, but it was enough to yank the jacket off his shoulders. The second slash tore into flesh.

Maarvey yelped in pain, jerking away and spinning around. Taako was pleased to finally see some worry in his eyes. Taako gave him a wide, sharp grin. He reached up, grasping at where the crossbow bolt was still imbedded in his shoulder, and he grabbed the shaft, yanking it out with a growl of pain. Blood splattered on the stone floor, and his grin didn’t waver.

“I’m just gettin’ started, you little piece of shit,” he grinned. He waved the bolt at Maarvey. “You really wanna die today? Up here, all alone, so far away from your cohorts? _Good._ Let’s fucking end this.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see people fleeing the front gate of the castle and into the empty city. He knew Maarvey could see them too. And for just one fleeting moment, he could see Maarvey’s resolve waver.

There was a flash of motion on their other side of the balcony, and someone shouted, “Taako!”

It was Kravitz’ voice. Taako’s head turned almost on its own volition, taking in Kravitz, panting as he climbed up the last few stairs leading to the balcony.

That was just the distraction Maarvey needed. Before Taako could even react, Maarvey leapt at him, slamming into his chest. The knife in his hand buried hilt deep between two of Taako’s ribs, just below his pectoral muscle. The impact and the shock of the blow sent him staggering backwards against the railing, the wood bowing under his weight.

He was going to fall. And in that moment, he made a decision: he wasn’t going to fall alone.

He buried his claws in the front of Maarvey’s jacket and yanked backwards, just as the railing gave out. Maarvey’s shouts of victory quickly dissolved into terror as they stumbled backwards off the edge of the tower. Kravitz shouted something, running toward them, but it was too late.

One spell slot left. He cast feather fall, and then he let go of Maarvey.

Maarvey screamed, flailing in the air and reaching out to grab onto whatever bit of Taako he could. He latched onto Taako’s leg as Taako’s claw snagged the edge of the balcony, but his fingers couldn’t get purchase through Taako’s slick fur.

Kravitz appeared at the edge of the ledge, first relieved to see Taako still dangling there and then disgusted when he saw Maarvey.

“Hello, darling,” Taako said, voice strained. “You came back.”

“I promised I would,” Kravitz said, giving him a worried smile. “Hold on, you’ve got a bit of a parasite problem, I think.” He flicked a hand, and Taako could see his earring glow slightly, but then dimmed again after a moment.

“Yeah?” Taako said, wiggling his leg a little in hopes of knocking Maarvey off. “There’s a dude hanging from my leg, and it’s not _super_ comfortable.”

“I can’t think – I’m, uh, I’ve got performance anxiety!” Kravitz hissed. “I don’t know what to say!”

“Just you fuckers _wait_ ,” Maarvey spat, trying to climb up Taako’s leg. “I’m gonna _gut_ you like fuckin’ _fish_ , and I’m gonna make a _jump rope_ outta your entrails, you goddamn motherfuckers – ”

“Does that give you any ideas?” Taako groaned. Maarvey was hanging off the leg that had gotten stabbed earlier, and even adrenaline wasn’t managing to stave off the pain.

“Um,” and Kravitz flicked his hand again, “eat shit, jackass.”

Maarvey yelped in pain as the spell went off, his grip on Taako’s leg slipping finally just enough for Taako to finally kick him off. He didn’t know what sort of spell Kravitz had cast, but Maarvey was falling. He howled a few more curses as he fell, deep into the ravine that surrounded the castle, until they couldn’t hear him any longer.

Taako sighed in relief. Feather fall was still active, but that was the only reason he was still hanging on. He had lost a lot of blood, and the idea of climbing back up, even with his body weighing significantly less than normal, didn’t seem appealing, but dropping down into the ravine below wasn’t exactly his top choice either. He’d probably bleed to death before he hit the ground.

Kravitz reached a hand down toward him. “Grab my hand, Taako,” he called.

Taako hesitated. He could still hurt Kravitz with one wrong move, a move that felt especially easy when it came to pulling someone over the edge of a tower. “I can’t,” he said. “My claws...”

“Are blunted. Babe, trust me,” Kravitz pleaded. “I’ve got it sorted. You won’t hurt me, just grab my hand. _Please_.”

Trust felt like asking a lot. Who was he supposed to trust? Himself, to not accidentally scratch any part of Kravitz’ skin? Kravitz, whom he knew literally _nothing_ about?

Kravitz had been the reason these thugs had been able to find the castle. No, that wasn’t fair. Taako didn’t know what had drawn the thugs to Kravitz in the first place, but it was clear that he hadn’t _meant_ to bring them here. It _could_ have all been an elaborate ruse, he supposed, but he didn’t think so. Whatever Kravitz had done, he had managed to keep his promise and come back. The curse wasn’t lifted, and Taako was fairly certain that whatever he had planned to break it, he hadn’t managed to do it. But he had come back.

And he was placing all of his trust in _Taako_ too. He seemed very sure he wouldn’t get hurt from Taako’s claws, which was a silly thing to be sure of. Or maybe this was just important enough to him that it was worth the risk.

If Kravitz could trust so deeply in him, then Taako could return the favor. He reached his hand up and clasped Kravitz’ arm.

There was no lightning strike or flash of light or anything like that when they touched, like Taako had almost expected after not touching anyone in nearly ten years. It was just...warmth. Kravitz clasped his forearm and pulled, and Taako scrambled up the side of the tower until Kravitz managed to pull him onto solid ground again.

For a moment, he just stayed on his knees in front of where Kravitz was kneeling, still clasping his arm, and Kravitz’ beautiful brown eyes stared deeply into his. No, no revelations or strange feelings or anything, but that hand on his arm was really fucking _nice_.

That was his last thought before the blood loss finally caught up with him, and his vision blacked out for a moment. He felt himself falling, and then warm arms caught him, gently lowering him to lean against something else warm.

“Oh, Taako, no, no, no...”

Kravitz’ voice brought him around again. He was cradling Taako to his chest. There was blood on his clothing, but it was probably Taako’s at this point. He was bleeding from basically everywhere, and he still had a fucking knife lodged in his chest.

“You’re gonna get poisoned, dumbass,” Taako mumbled.

“I’m not,” Kravitz said. “Stay awake. I can help.”

He reached for the hilt of the knife, but Taako put his hand over it first. “Don’t fucking – get Merle first, idiot. M’gonna bleed to death if you...if you pull that out.”

“You’re gonna bleed to death by the time I get to Merle,” Kravitz said gently. “I’m a bard, love. I’m not as good at healing, but I _can_ stop the bleeding long enough to keep you alive until we can get Merle up here.”

“Oh.” Taako still wasn’t sure he wanted to move his hand. “But my blood...”

“Doesn’t matter, Taako. Listen, right now, we need to worry about you,” Kravitz insisted. “Merle can also cure poison, right? And he’s finished the antidote. He told me just before I ran up here. Besides, it isn’t your _blood_ that’s poison. It’s the venom in your claws. Taako, let me do this.”

Merle had...finished the antidote? That was good. The world was blurring at the edges, and he could taste blood in his mouth. Taako couldn’t think about it anymore. He let his hand fall away from his chest.

Kravitz acted quickly. There was a sharp pain as he yanked the knife free, and Taako keened quietly as blood began bubbling up out of the wound. And then Kravitz hand his hands over the wound, and he was singing quietly, singing a song that Taako recognized from somewhere...someone had sung him this song a long, long time ago...

And then, the pain eased slightly, and it got easier to breathe. He opened eyes that he didn’t remember closing and blinked up at Kravitz’ worried face.

“Taako’s good,” he managed out.

Kravitz smiled, although it was strained with worry. He brought a bloody hand up to Taako’s face, but Taako turned away. Even if there was an antidote, he wasn’t quite ready for that sort of intimacy. Not quite yet.

“Thank the gods,” Kravitz replied, pulling his hand away again. “I’m...I’m so sorry I brought this mess back to you. I...never thought, when they found the compass...Taako, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“I just lost like _half_ my blood volume, dude,” Taako mumbled. “Can I take a rain check on this conversation? I’m gonna sleep for like...a week.”

“Y...yeah, okay, sure,” Kravitz replied, his voice shaking. “Let’s get you downstairs, okay? Can I help you downstairs? I don’t want to leave you up here...”

“Kravitz?”

A woman’s voice came from the stairs leading up to the balcony. Taako didn’t recognize it, but he didn’t _not_ recognize it either. He was sure he had never heard it, but at the same time, hearing that voice twisted up something inside his chest and made him want to cry in relief of having heard it. He turned his head toward the source of the voice and watched as an elven woman emerged from the stairwell, holding the compass Maarvey had discarded during the fight open in her outstretched palms.

His brain must have still been fuzzy from the blood loss, because he couldn’t make out her face. No, that wasn’t true – he could _see_ it, but what he saw didn’t make any sense. That was because she had _his_ face. Not the monster face, of course, but the face in that painting, the one Kravitz had looked at and immediately declared he knew how to break the curse. It didn’t make any sense, and it was making his head hurt. He wanted to look away, but something about her being there had tied a knot in his chest, and he was so filled with some undefined emotion, he thought he might explode into a thousand pieces. He _couldn’t_ look away.

“Kravitz...what is this place?” she asked.

And then she looked right at Taako, and she stopped. She closed the compass, as though realizing she had reached what it was pointing to, and slid it into her pocket. The silence spread between them for a long moment while Taako’s brain struggled to understand.

What Kravitz had said before, about being forgotten, that it wasn’t him –

That elven rulers always came in pairs, because twins were lucky –

Her face, her eyes, her voice –

All at once, it hit him. It felt like someone had slammed him in the forehead with a sledge hammer, as all the pieces finally fit back together. Lup. This was Lup! His twin sister! How could he forget _Lup?_ She had _always_ been with him, _always_ , from his shitty childhood, to the caravans, to the guards escorting them to the castle, through tedious diplomatic training, through wizardry tutors and grand balls, and –

Until she hadn’t been. He couldn’t quite understand it all just yet, only that she had been there, and then she wasn’t, and that she had been somehow erased from his mind, as though the other half of his heart and soul could ever be _erased..._

She looked a bit gobsmacked herself as she stared at him, like all of _her_ memories were trickling back, but that was absurd – he hadn’t been the one to be forgotten, why would she have forgotten _him?_

And then she directed her gaze at Kravitz. She spread her hands out in front of her in something like exasperation mixed with amusement.

“You’re dating my _brother??_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost done! I'd love to do like a Q&A sort of thing and talk about stuff that didn't make into story once it's all done, so if you have any questions or anything you'd like me to talk about, feel free to mention it in the comments or address it to my tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or my twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack).
> 
> As always, I appreciate you reading this. If you're enjoying it, please consider letting me know with kudos or comments? They really help motivate me, and I super love hearing what you think. Thanks again!


	16. Interlude III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We nearly have all the pieces of the mystery now.

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and prosperous kingdom called Faerun. It was a very large kingdom, blessed with many different races coexisting within its borders and ruled by the short-lived humans so that it would be forced to change leadership often.

The elves chose their representatives to the throne in a way considered odd to the other races. The elven council gathered to judge the luckiest constellations to be born under, the luckiest weather to be born during, and many other factors. They would line things up and try and find elves born under the luckiest circumstances, who had lived particularly lucky lives thus far, and then see if any of them were luckier, even, than the current rulers.

There was more to it than that, however. Bad luck was a factor, and everyone knew luck could change over time. If the current rulers were subject to a sudden bout of bad luck, then perhaps it was time to find a replacement.

Every elf, it was believed, could expect to endure bad luck in their lives, no matter what stars had shone down the night they were born. That was just how it was when you were such a long lived race. Some who believed more strongly in fate said that the luckiest elves were the ones who had bad luck as a child. Perhaps then their adulthood would be free of bad luck. Perhaps then they would be even luckier.

While many did not subscribe to this belief, and the elven council did not typically consider this when searching for their new monarchs, things were different this time around. A pair of children were found born under the perfect stars, during the perfect weather, to parents who had craved the perfect foods while expecting. And, most importantly of all, the children were twins – the luckiest elves of all.

But after their births, their luck ran out. They were born to a family who did not want them, and they were passed around to relatives who could not afford them. They were too small and too smart and too loud. They fended for themselves and looked out only for each other. The only nicety of their childhood was a kind aunt who kept them as long as she could and taught them everything she knew about surviving in a cruel world that did not want them.

They grew up sharp as razors, mean as snakes, clever as foxes – but imparted with goodness and a soft spot for others who were down on their luck.

They would have been perfect, save for the rotten luck of their childhood.

And so the council discussed at length what to do, for no other children came even close to qualifying and the current king and queen were already in their 500s with no intention of willingly stepping down. They decided to take a chance that the luck they themselves would be granting the children by moving them off the streets and into a lavish castle, by giving them as much food as they needed, by giving them education and warm beds to sleep in and proper parental figures would be enough to rival the current leaders’ luck.

The prophetess Paloma, however, foresaw a terrible future for the children. The day Princess Lup and Prince Taako were brought to the castle, she had a vision: one would be forgotten, and the other would become a monster. She tried to warn the council, but it was too late.

The children were raised with every one of their needs filled. They were given a comprehensive education, and, once they were adults, they were given control of the castle town outside their castle. All went well, until their good luck dried up again.

Once upon a time, there was a village ravaged by earthquakes, at the edge of elven territories but ignored by the monarchy. There were rumors of an ancient artifact buried deep below the city that caused the tremors.

Once upon a time, there was a princess with an interest in archaeology and in magic who thought she could help. When the tunnels collapsed in the caves below town, the ground opened up in a giant sinkhole and swallowed the city. The princess fell, injured and unconscious, and no one in the castle knew what had befallen her.

Once upon a time, there was a prince who had lost his sister. He succumbed to his grief, ignoring his people and using all of his faculties and resources on fruitless searches. He neither ate nor slept enough, and he was wasting away, day by day, hour by hour, without his sister.

Once upon a time, there was a sorceress who lived in the castle. She loved the prince and princess as her own brother and sister. She saw the grief the prince had fallen into, and she thought she could help. She thought, If I can just make him forget, he’ll pay attention to the people again. And then I’ll find the princess and come back and make everything right.

Once upon a time, there was a prince who had never had a sister. He was sharp as a razor, mean as a snake, and clever as a fox. The world was hard on him and so he became hard too. No one had ever loved him so he refused to love too.

Once upon a time, there was a cursed stone that revealed the worst part of one’s soul and put it on display for everyone to see.

Once upon a time, there was a king and a queen who had no interest in giving up their throne. And so they conspired to get rid of the competition.

Once upon a time, there was a foolish, angry prince who fell for their lies.

Once upon a time, there was a girl who couldn’t remember anything but her own name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! We're only two chapters away from the ending now (if I do things the way I plan to). Remember that you can ask questions or mention plot elements you'd like more clarification on in the comments or on my social media (linked below), and I'll answer them in a little post-fic thing where I talk about...stuff, guess? I dunno. I saw other people doing it and I wanted to do it too.
> 
> This chapter does bring us to the last of my chapters that were completed in advance to posting this story in the first place. There's a small chance I won't have the next chapter ready next week, even though it's half written, because...brains are bad. But I'll do my best.
> 
> Anyway, as always, I appreciate every comment and kudo I get! They keep me motivated to write more and give me that good, good serotonin. You can also find me on my tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and on my twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack). Thanks again!


	17. Not Too Not Familiar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new player has entered the game! What's she doing there? How did she get there? Why's everything here so...familiar, but not too familiar, but not too not familiar? (Hint: it's not a new craze.)
> 
> Kravitz gets scolded. Taako gets a makeover. Lup gets confused.

“So,” Lup said, looking around the very empty safe house in Waterdeep, hands on her hips and her lips pursed, “this is pretty weird.”

“...no sign of him, huh?” Barry asked, stepping inside behind her.

“None. He hasn't even been here.”

She frowned, intensely worried. It wasn't odd for a coworker to go out of contact for a few days, weeks, whatever. But months without a word? That didn't seem great. Lup had just spent three very long months trying to track down her missing partner and friend, only for him to show up while she and Barry weren't home and then disappear again before they could get home.

Last they had heard, Kravitz was going undercover in Goldcliffe, investigating the Grand Grimauldis Casino and getting some dirt on its owner. They had been trying to take the corrupt casino mogul down for a while now. Lup in particular had a personal feud with the guy, which was part of why _Kravitz_ was on the job and not her. Had to choose someone he wouldn't immediately recognize, or that was Raven's explanation, at least. And Kravitz knew his way around a casino better than either her or Barry.

“So what have we got?” she asked a few minutes later, sitting down at the somewhat dusty kitchen table. “The note and the map?”

“And the knowledge that he hasn't been caught by Grimauldis' goons yet. Or, I guess, he hadn't when he was in Neverwinter, at least,” Barry said, frowning. He unfolded the hand drawn map on the table and studied it. It had been copied out of an atlas, most likely, and the only two locations that had been named on it were Waterdeep and a little town some miles south called Glamour Springs.

“Okay, so he came back, made a map, got spotted somehow, and decided to jet?” she asked.

“Seems like it. Kinda, uh, feels like a trap, don't you think?”

“Absolutely.” She frowned at the map and put the note down next to it. “I mean, this all _looks_ like his handwriting. He changed the flag, and he definitely left his stuff. He was definitely there. The trap wasn't meant for us, I don't think.”

Barry looked at her, and there was a moment of mutual understanding in their shared glance.

“So, when are we leaving, exactly?” he asked.

She smiled. It was very nice to have a husband who understood you so well.

They left within the hour, as soon as they had supplies. They were going to have to camp either way, so there wasn't much point in waiting, and if Kravitz was in as much trouble as they suspected, they didn't have much time to lose. It was a little foolhardy to rush in like this, but they still had the element of surprise on their side. Besides, Lup wasn't willing to leave Kravitz in a perilous situation any longer than she had to.

The road to Glamour Springs was small and fairly rural, not well used enough to be maintained during the snowfall but certainly not overgrown either. They shared a phantom steed to save spell slots, and as they rode through what seemed like endless woods, Lup couldn't help but wonder why the hell someone would build a town so far away from everything. However nice and glamorous the springs there were, they weren't worth hours of travel from the nearest real city. The phantom steed didn't even last the entire trip, and they were back to walking again.

They made decent time, though. It was afternoon when the road led into the weirdest little town Lup had ever seen. Every single building was empty and deserted and had been for some time. Roofs were caved in. Trees and branches had fallen and were never cleaned up.

It left Lup incredibly unsettled in a way she didn't completely understand. She had seen ghost towns before. She visited the remains of Phandalin whenever she had the time to visit the people who had rescued her. After the giant sinkhole that had opened up and swallowed the center of the town, the rest of the houses had quickly begun to look like this as people moved on. Only the camp of determined survivors remained, including the people who had nursed her back to health after she had been caught up in what had happened there.

“Hey,” Barry said gently, grabbing her hand.

She broke out of her thoughts, looking over at him. She was a little embarrassed to have been caught ruminating, but also grateful for the distraction.

He squeezed her hand. “Check it out, somebody's been through here recently,” he said, as if sensing her desire to not talk about it.

She looked where he was pointing. Fresh tracks led through the snow, cutting toward the far edge of town where the trees ended.

“That's a bit of a group,” she mused, frowning at the amount of footprints. She was no ranger, and she didn't have the skill to determine how many. But it was more than just one or two, that much was for certain.

Either way, it made it easy for them to disguise their own tracks. Following the trail led them to a large ravine with a small castle built artistically into it. Lup stopped dead in her tracks when it came into full view.

Something was _extremely_ wrong with this place. It wasn't _supposed_ to look like this.

What was going on?

“Babe...have we ever been here before?” she asked, wrapping her arms around her middle.

She could feel his eyes studying her face. “I don't think so, hon,” he said quietly, placing a hand on her arm. “Are you remembering something?”

She scoffed a little bit. She had never felt any particular urge to uncover the lost hundred or so years of her life she had forgotten. Her life now was good. She had a sweet husband, an exciting job, and a great best friend. Whatever she had left behind, she had convinced herself not to worry about. There didn't seem a point – she had never remembered anything before, so there wasn't anything to gain by holding onto it. Even the little bits and pieces of her old life that had survived the sinkhole didn't remind her of anything. What was the point of squinting back behind her when she could be moving forward without it just fine?

And yet, there was still that strange feeling that she carried around with her that she had lost a piece of herself when she had lost her memories. Which – of course she had, she had lost her entire childhood and adolescence, likely part of her adulthood too. But this was different, somehow. She could reclaim and remake her life. She had, in fact. But she didn't quite know how to fill the hole all of that left behind.

“I don't know,” she finally admitted. “It doesn't – it's not _familiar_ , but it's like I know it's not the way it's supposed to be. It's different here, but...different than what, I don't know.”

“We'll figure it out after we find Kravitz,” Barry said. “I think we've stumbled onto something, though. Listen.”

Lost in her own thoughts as she had been, she had somehow missed the distant commotion coming from within the castle. The sounds got louder as they approached, and she could make out yelling and cursing, accompanied by metal clanking together and wood splintering. The iron gates leading to the bridge were hanging on their hinges. Across the ravine, they could see the heavy wooden doors to the castle had been smashed open.

A terrified looking man with a baseball bat and wearing a leather jacket tore out of the castle, running at full speed across the bridge. He didn't even so much as glance at them before sprinting into town. Two other men followed him out in similar states of panic. The third skidded in the snow and slipped, and they could see that he was bruised and bloody. He noticed the two of them staring in bewilderment at the events playing out in front of them.

“Get outta here, man!” he cried, scrambling back to his feet. “They're fuckin' crazy in there!”

And just like that, he was off again.

That was a group of men who _definitely_ didn't belong in a rundown castle or the ghost town outside. And that accent sounded a lot like a Goldcliffe one. The signs were looking good at this was, in fact, where Kravitz had gone. Lup glanced at Barry, and Barry looked up at the castle.

“What's _with_ this place?” he murmured. “Check out that tower.”

She put a hand to her forehead, squinting up toward where he was pointing. There was definitely something _weird_ about the western tower, but the light reflecting off of it was so bright that it made her head hurt just acknowledging that it was there.

“Fucking weird,” she agreed. “Come on. If Kravitz isn't here now, he certainly _was_. That guy had a Goldcliffe accent. Let's go inside.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“Probably not.” She marched forward. The sooner they found Kravitz, the sooner that could – well, either leave or figure out what was bothering her so much about this place.

Barry kept pace with her, his wand in one hand and a short sword in the other. They were halfway across the bridge when another terrified man raced out of the building, an arrow lodged in his shoulder. He barely even took notice of them as he booked it out of there.

The sounds of fighting had died down now, and there was a lackluster cheer from within. It seemed that the interlopers had been defeated.

Undaunted, Lup approached the doorway. The mess she found inside was...peculiar. She had seen the results of a typical invasion type of attack. What she found inside was something more akin to the aftermath of a bar fight.

There was furniture strewn all over the place, most of it smashed and splintered. Books with their pages torn out, shattered flower pots, overturned crates, and all sorts of other junk littered the ground wherever she looked. Most baffling were the huge, overgrown vines splayed out on the floor. Huge chunks of them had been chopped into pieces, but there was plenty left undamaged.

All signs of traps. She didn't fully understand the situation, but that much was easy enough to determine. The denizens of the castle had known the intruders were coming and had prepared quite aptly, it seemed. Interesting.

Speaking of the denizens...

Lup and Barry hadn't been noticed yet, but they weren't alone. Three men lay dead on the floor amid the broken furniture, all three in matching leather jackets. Further inside, there was a small group of people. A dwarf with flowers woven into his beard was tending an orcish woman with a large laceration across her chest. A plump woman blessed with the most beautiful curls Lup had ever seen was feeding a potion to a burly man holding an ax on his lap.

These people...these faces...this _building_...Lup's hed was pounding.

“Heads up!” a halfing woman called sharply. “There's more of 'em!”

A host of weapons were suddenly pointed in their direction. Barry immediately dropped his sword and held up his hands. “Hey, wait, we're not here to fight!

“Yeah, check it out,” Lup said, following suit before turning around so they could see her back. “No fancy leather friendship jackets or anything,” she added as she turned back around. Her own voice felt weirdly distant in her ears, but she tried to push it out of her mind. Something was wrong here, but she wasn't going to think about it now.

The weapons didn't lower, exactly, but there was a tangible sense of relief in the air. “So who exactly _are_ you, then?” the burly man asked. “What the fuck are _you_ after?”

“We're just here looking for someone,” Barry said placatingly. “A bard named Kravitz. We don't want any trouble.”

The ache between Lup's temples was not abating. It felt so – fleeting, so wrong. A ghost of a thing that she couldn't quite grasp. It wasn't familiarity, not really. She didn't _remember_ this place. It didn't feel like she had been here before. It felt more like she was _supposed_ to have been here all along.

She was having a lot of trouble focusing on anyone's faces.

She was Lup. She was a bounty hunter for the Raven Queen. Whatever else she may have been in the past – that wasn't important right now. She was Lup. She was a bounty hunter for the Raven Queen. She was _Lup_ –

Barry was still talking to the group. She stepped closer to him, unnerved by what was happening inside her. As she did so, the toe of her boot tapped against a small golden object discarded on the floor. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands. It looked like a pocket watch, but when she opened it up, she realized she had been wrong. It was a compass. It wasn't pointing the right direction.

“...left a map that led straight to this place,” Barry said. “We had no idea where else he could be, so, uh, we thought we'd at least find out if he'd been here.”

“Where does this compass lead?” she asked suddenly.

She felt the attention of the group shift to her, a little overwhelmingly. Even Barry was giving her an odd look.

She held up the compass. “It's pointing the wrong way. Where does it lead?”

For the first time, she noticed a gnomish man within the group. He was staring straight at her with an intensity that was somewhat alarming. “Taako,” he said, simply.

The name made her head hurt and her heart ache. “...who?”

“Shit,” said a half elf dressed all in black. “Where _is_ Taako?”

“Ran off when the fighting started,” the dwarf said gruffly. “Had some guy with a crossbow chasin' after him. Kravitz followed after 'em.” He pointed toward a doorway to the right.

Lup looked at the compass. It wasn't pointing exactly in the direction the dwarf was pointing, but it was pretty close. Something was drawing her to follow that compass needle, and if Kravitz was that direction too, then what was she waiting for? She didn't have time to question it. She started off toward that doorway.

“Babe?” Barry called after her.

“I'm going to go find Kravitz!” she called to him.

“Hey! You can't just run around wherever!” the ax man shouted after her. “Hey!!”

She broke out into a sprint. She didn't have time to explain. She _had_ to find out what the compass was leading to, and if she found Kravitz on the way, more the better.

The hallway that stretched out behind the door ran on an angle to where the compass pointed, but it was the closest she could get right now. The hallway ended in an intersection veering to the left, and she smiled in satisfaction as she turned the corner and the needle pointed straight out in front of her. At the very end of the hallway, set on an angle, was an open door leading to the eastern tower.

Lup glanced to her left. The hallway extended much further after it turned the corner. She couldn't see where it led. It was filled with the same blinding light she had seen outside.

Behind her, she could hear someone running after her. She said a silent apology to Barry, and then she did the only thing she could – she began to climb the tower stairs.

Voices drifted down the stairwell toward her. They were indistinct at first, but they sounded familiar. As she climbed, the words became clearer. The compass needle spun around in a slow circle as she climbed. She was nearly there.

“...like _half_ my blood volume, dude. Can I take a rain check on this conversation? I'm gonna sleep for like...a week.”

There was something wrong with that voice. It had some sort of strangely inhuman cadence overlaid with it, making it sound more like an animal growl than a voice. But mixed in there was a voice she knew. This _was_ something familiar but also abstract, like something out of a dream. She couldn't _remember_ it, but she _knew_ it. Something about it was... _good_. Something about it made her want to cry in relief for having heard it. Her heart pounding in her chest, she clutched the compass closer and hurried on.

“Y...yeah, okay, sure.” That was Kravitz' voice, crisp and clear as she'd ever heard it. That voice felt like a relief too, but in a different, more knowable way. She _remembered_ Kravitz. “Let's get you downstairs, okay? Can I help you downstairs? I don't want to leave you up here...”

“Kravitz?” she called, hurrying up the last bit of stairs.

The exit led to the balcony at the top of the tower. She found Kravitz in the middle of it, kneeling next to a crumpled figure. There was blood all over him and the stonework floor, but most of it was concentrated in a long streak leading from the edge of the tower where the railing had been broken to the center where the figure lay. The blood, as near as she could tell, did not belong to Kravitz. Or not all of it, anyway – no half elf would be sitting up and talking after losing that much blood.

Lup's head was pounding, and she was blindingly aware of the white light pulsating out from the opposite tower. The wind whipped around her, much stronger and colder at this altitude, but she could barely feel it. She stood there a moment, compass still cradled in her hands, and tried to organize her thoughts.

“Kravitz...what is this place?”

When she finally looked at the figure collapsed in Kravitz' arms, she felt like a little light had clicked on inside her mind. Whatever was going on here, whatever strange mental block was keeping her from fully understanding what was happening here – _he_ was at the root of all of that. This was who the compass was leading to, she realized. She closed the compass and stowed it away. She didn't need it anymore.

And that figure at the center of all this was a strange one. His form was monstrous, adorned with impossibly black fur and sharp fangs. Something about the way he was put together seemed alien. It was off putting and difficult to perceive, but in a different way than the rest of this palace was. He was dressed in dark colors that didn't entirely hide all the blood stains. Bits of clothing were slashed or torn to pieces, almost certainly by the bloody knife on the ground beside him. His limbs were long and gangly and his ears large and batlike, twitching toward her in a way similar to the way hers twitched upwards when she saw him.

His deep golden eyes stared directly at her, identical in color to her own.

To say she understood what she was seeing was _definitely_ overstating it. The entire situation had tied a giant knot of confusion that she had no idea how to even start unraveling. But she knew – she _knew_ – who this was, with absolute, unparalleled certainty. She had never been so sure of anything as she was sure of this.

Because all this time, for all these years, she had been _missing_ a part of herself, and no matter how hard she tried to fill it with her relationships with Barry and Kravitz, by pouring herself into a job she believed in – none of that had ever been able to make up for that empty space.

It was because that space was a piece of her soul that was missing, because when you shared a womb with someone, you didn't have your own soul. You had one piece of a whole that you got to keep, and the other half lived outside of your body as your twin but existed as a piece of yourself just as surely as your own body.

Lup loved Barry and Kravitz with all of her heart, but...Taako. Taako _was_ her heart.

Taako. Her brother, her twin, the other half of her soul...and now, apparently, some weird, unfathomable beast. She was _pretty_ sure that had happened while she was gone.

And Kravitz, stupid Kravitz, her _idiot_ best friend, was staring at Taako like he had hung the moon and the stars in the sky. Kravitz had been _here_ all winter, apparently becoming enamored to the brother she didn't even know she had. She recognized that look in his eyes in a heartbeat.

She spread her hands in mock-exasperation, relief and a strange feeling of joy radiating out of her. “You disappeared for three months to go date my _brother???_ ” she demanded.

Kravitz sputtered, his cheeks turning red. “We’re not – I’m not – ”

Taako, to his credit, just started laughing. It would have been a horrifying noise, except it was _Taako_. He sounded like he was going to cry. That was something she could sympathize with that. She stumbled over to where he was slowly pulling himself into a sitting position.

“And what the fuck is this?” she asked, falling to her knees in front of him. She reached out and tugged on one of his ears. He flinched away from her touch, so she let her hand drop. _That_ hurt a little bit, but she wasn’t going to say so. “This is one hell of a glow up, babe.”

“Fuck off, Lulu,” he retorted. “I’m still hotter than you.”

She didn’t quite understand his sudden aversion to her touch, but she assumed it had something to do with the fact that apparently he was just a _monster dude_ now. She also couldn't quite bring herself to give a damn. She hadn’t seen him in twelve _years_ , after all, and sometimes you just had to fucking hug your brother.

He gasped as she wrapped her arms around him, going stiff in her arms. She bit her lip but couldn’t _quite_ make herself let go, and maybe he needed to just deal with that for a moment. She didn’t remember _anything_ except him right now. She didn’t know why he was here or what had happened to him or why she wasn’t with him, but none of that was important right now. What was important was that she was here with her brother, who she _loved_ with all her heart.

“Lup...”

“Fuck off, okay, I haven’t seen you in like twelve years and I’m gonna fucking hug you if I want to,” she groused. “I _missed_ you.”

Taako’s arms hesitantly came up to return her embrace. “Then why didn’t you come home sooner, goofus?” he asked.

“‘Cause I forgot you existed, dingus.”

Home, huh? Of course this was _home_. She might not remember the building they were in or the people in it, but as long as _Taako_ was here, this was definitely home.

There was a sudden rush of warmth around them, between them, tingling across her skin. It felt a little bit like some sort of magic spell had flared up around them. Confused, she pulled back just enough to look at him. But he was looking at her the same way. Whatever magic was washing over them wasn't something either of them had cast.

She heard Kravitz gasp from beside her, and when she turned to look at him, she noticed what he had. Her arms and hands were glowing somehow. No, not her arms themselves, just the places where her skin touched Taako's. The light grew between them, something soft and healing, unlike the bright light emanating from the other tower.

She watched in amazement as the light spread from her hands, climbing up Taako's arms and chest, sliding up his neck and down his torso, until it had engulfed his entire body. She had no idea what it meant, but she could feel, somewhere deep inside, that this magic was _good_ magic. She clung to his arms. Beneath her hands, she could feel him...change.

The light glowed brightly for a moment, and there was the sound of glass shattering from somewhere behind her. And when the light faded...

“Holy shit,” Taako breathed, staring at his hands. “Am I...?”

He looked just like she remembered him. Almost, anyway. His hair was shaggier than he normally kept it, falling loose down his back when she knew he preferred a braid. His face was sallow and pale, and he had large dark circles under his eyes. His clothes were now too big for his much smaller frame. But it was _him_ , undeniably, the other half of her soul, reflecting her own face like a mirror.

“Yeah, T. You’re...you again,” she told him, laughing wetly.

He reached up and touched his face and hair with trembling hands. “I...I didn’t...how did you break the curse?” he asked, bewildered.

“True love,” Kravitz said quietly. Lup looked over at him, having nearly forgotten he was there, and she couldn’t help but grin at the tender expression on his face. Kravitz was good at theatrics and acting, but she knew him well enough to know the real thing when she saw it. “Not all love is romantic, right? Maybe it’s not such a fairy tale after all.”

“You fucking sap,” Taako said with a weak grin.

“I’m not the one who put the curse on you,” Kravitz replied, smiling.

“Oh my god, I step outside for like two minutes and you get yourself cursed?” Lup asked, laughing as she brushed away the tears in her eyes. “God, look at you, babe. Did you get stabbed like a hundred times?”

“Something like that,” Taako said, sounding tired. He glanced at Kravitz. “You and me, we gotta have a talk about the company you keep sometime.”

Kravitz' smile faded a little bit. “I...yeah, I figured that was the case,” he said, slowly getting to his feet. “Come on, though. Lup's right. You're still hurt pretty badly. Let's get you downstairs to see Merle.” He reached out a hand to help Taako up.

Taako stared at Kravitz' hand for a long moment. Lup watched his face, so like her own, and recognized the tender expression he wore.

Then he hesitantly reached up and took Kravitz' hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **HEY EVERYONE CHECK OUT[THIS SWEET FANART](https://nekosd43.tumblr.com/post/616685070628143104/are-you-reading-the-winter-rose-cause-its-good) THAT [@NEKOSD43](https://nekosd43.tumblr.com) MADE FOR ME!**
> 
> Here we are!!! We're almost done!!! Just gotta tie up the last few loose ends, which I can hopefully do in one chapter. But who knows? Maybe there will be 12 more. (There will not be 12 more.) We are officially at the end of what I had prewritten, however, so I can't be sure exactly what lies ahead.
> 
> On that note, if you don't hear from me next week, it's because I didn't finish the chapter in time. But I'm gonna try.
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH for reading! Your comments and kudos mean a whole lot to me. I wouldn't have made it this far without your support. Consider looking me up elsewhere, on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) and on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack).


	18. Thinking Makes It So

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prince has learned that not all forms of love are romantic, and that the bard was not the one to directly break the curse. But, even with the villains dispatched and the curse broken, there are still a few things that haven't returned to normal. Fortunately, there's one person who has all the answers.
> 
> Kravitz hugs a boy. Lucretia tells a story. Taako remembers.

“So, can I ask a question?” Magnus asked the room at large.

He was sitting on the edge of the royal dining table, which was shoved up against the far wall to make some extra space in the center. The fire in the hearth was roaring, tended by Ren, and the room was nice and warm.

Taako was not the only one to have taken battle damage, and, with the castle just out of invasion mode, the royal dining room was the biggest room readily available to be warmed up and used as a makeshift infirmary. The whole lot, Lup, Barry, and Kravitz included, were holed up in the room while Merle made his rounds and tended everyone's wounds. Sloane and Julia popped in and out of the room, carrying linens, bandages, basins of water, and whatever else Merle needed.

Kravitz' healing magic had closed the worst of Taako's wounds, but he had still been in bad shape when Magnus had carried him in, only moments after plucking the prince out of Kravitz' grip halfway down the tower stairs. Merle's spell slots were limited, and the group was running low on healing potions, so Taako was stabilized but still seemed pretty sore.

“You just did,” Carey pointed out to Magnus.

Magnus ignored her, gesturing to where Taako sat, wrapped up in a blanket and clutching Lup's hand tightly in his. “What the fuck is going on?”

Kravitz smiled wanly. He was sitting on the floor, leaning up against one wall, with Taako curled up next to him and leaning against his shoulder. Lup was squeezed in next to him, and on her other side, Barry sat. The others in the room were chatting among themselves, quiet and subdued in the aftermath of battle.

It was a little overwhelming, honestly. Taako was... _small_. He wasn't really short by elven standards, and Kravitz only had an inch or two on him. But after spending a winter with Taako towering over him, it was strange indeed how well he fit in the crook of Kravitz' arm, tucked up against his side with his head resting on his shoulder. It was stranger still how readily Taako accepted being touched now, but Kravitz couldn't blame him. And, well, Kravitz didn't ever want to let him go either.

“Kinda wondering the same thing,” Barry murmured, mostly under his breath.

“Don't ask me,” Taako said, yawning a little bit. “I have a sister, I guess? Pretty sure Krav's the only one who has any clue.”

“Don't give me too much credit,” Kravitz snorted. “There's apparently some sort of spell that made Taako forget Lup and Lup to forget...uh, everything, I guess. I put the pieces together when I saw a portrait of Taako before he got, um, monster-ified. Do...do any of the rest of you remember Lup? Ren, you've been here a while, right?”

Ren frowned. “I...no, I don't know her,” she said, shaking her head.

“I...I know Lup,” Davenport announced.

“You do?” Taako asked, looking surprised. “Lup, do you remember Dav?”

Lup frowned, chewing on her lower lip for a moment. She shook her head.

“Okay, 'nother question,” Magnus went on. “Who the fuck were those guys? What did they want with us?”

“That's two questions,” Carey said, and then laughed when Magnus flipped her off.

“Ah – that one's on me, I'm afraid,” Kravitz admitted worriedly. “I – ran into some trouble. Stepped on some toes. Julia, you asked me what I was doing out in those woods? I was...running away from those thugs. Taako gave me an enchanted compass so I'd be able to find my way back here after I left, but they found it and were convinced it led to treasure. They didn't – they didn't have any business with you. That was all on _me_ , I'm afraid.”

Lup gave him a calculated look. “Those were Grimmauldis' goons, weren't they?” she said darkly. “I cannot _wait_ to punch that guy in the dick.”

Kravitz smiled marginally. “I know he's a loan shark and a shady casino mogul, and he really deserves to be punched in the dick, but it's still fucking weird that you're holding such a grudge over fifteen dollars.”

“They were my fifteen favorite dollars!” she protested.

“What the fuck are dollars?” Taako asked, sounding tired. “Listen – whatever. Krav, you and me are gonna have a _talk_ about this later. But in the meantime, how the fuck do you know my sister? Lup, how did you _get_ here?”

“That's a good question, actually,” Kravitz realized. “Lup, Barry, how _did_ you guys find us?”

“You left a map on the kitchen table,” Barry pointed out.

Kravitz blinked. He sure had, hadn't he? “That was fortuitous of me.”

“So like, you all _live_ together?” Killian wondered. “Is it like a sex thing?”

“No!” Kravitz said quickly while Barry sputtered and turned a little red.

“Tall, dark, and handsome here ain't my type,” Lup announced. “He's not goth enough for me.”

“Oh, and Barry is?” Kravitz quipped.

“Yeah,” Lup replied, leaning over to kiss Barry on the cheek. His blush intensified a little, but he managed a weak grin.

“Oh my god, do not tell me you're dating Nerd Lord over there,” Taako said, aghast.

“I'm not,” Lup promised. She actually looked a little sheepish. “We're, uh, married.”

“Married?” Taako asked, genuinely surprised. “And you didn't invite me?”

Lup rolled her eyes. “I forgot your address.”

“Hmph,” he muttered. “So you, uh, live with my sister, dude? What's the deal there?”

Kravitz shrugged. “They're my family,” he said. “I told you about them before. My brother and sister, so to speak. You remember? I was talking about Barry and Lup.”

Taako eyed him. “She's _my_ sister.”

“I didn't know that then, love.”

“Can we maybe start over?” Magnus asked, folding his arms over his chest. “I'm still pretty lost here. Taako has a sister? Taako is a dude again? What?”

“I had a sister, and then I forgot her,” Taako said simply. “Ren forgot her too. But Davenport, you remembered?”

Davenport shook his head. “I remember...now. Some. I know Lup.”

Kravitz was a little bewildered. He had never heard Davenport speak quite like that before. Something was happening. Whatever had made everyone forget...maybe it was wearing off? It had been part of the same curse, hadn't it?

“Right. So everybody got cursed, and then I got uncursed, and we're still trying figure out Lup's curse.”

“She isn't cursed.”

The voice came from the doorway leading into the kitchen, and it wasn't one Kravitz expected to hear, because Lucretia hadn't been here in a while. But there she stood, tall and regal as ever, her plain oak staff in one hand and the other clutched to her chest. Her voice may have been steady, but her brows were upturned and her eyes were wide in an expression of surprise and...joy? She was staring right at Lup.

The room fell silent, all the bits of background chatter dying down into silence as Lucretia took another step into the room.

“You came home,” Lucretia said, giving Lup a small but genuinely joyful smile. “After all these years. Who would have thought I'd find you in the last place I had seen you?”

Lup glanced at Taako, maybe looking for some guidance, but Taako's expression was locked in a scowl.

“Yeah, you're gonna have to fill me in there, Grandma,” she said. “I might not be cursed or whatever, but I sure don't remember you.”

Lucretia paused, a look of surprise crossing her face. “Oh! You don't...you don't remember,” she said, frowning. “Of course you don't. Stupid of me.” She rubbed her hand over her mouth let out a long sigh, falling into a contemplative expression.

“Lucretia,” Taako said sharply. “What did you do?”

She lifted her staff and moved it in a square shape in the air. A glowing blue seam appeared in air in its wake, and she pinched the edge of the square, pulling away the fabric of reality. From within, she pulled a very old, very thick leather bound book. The cover was embossed with an emblem of a pair of jellyfish, one green and one blue.

“I'll explain everything,” she promised. “And I'll end the spell. But please listen to everything before...before you judge me.”

* * *

* * *

Taako was sleeping at his desk. Again.

The moonlight cascaded in through the tall windows, the drapes left open constantly now that the prince rarely left his desk. Taako's head was pillowed on his arms, his braid unkempt and the blue silks of his clothing creased and wrinkled. In sleep, he looked relatively untroubled for the first time in weeks – months, even. The fire in the hearth had gone down to embers, and someone had turned out the lights by this hour, but no one had dared to wake him.

Lucretia bit her lip before pushing the door open a little further, just far enough to slip into the room. She unfolded the blanket in her arms and carefully wrapped it around Taako's shoulders. He shifted slightly in his sleep, and she held her breath for a moment before he settled back down.

Thank the _gods_. Taako had never been a particularly kind person, but grief had twisted him into an outright cruel one.

She slid from the room and closed the door slowly, taking care to make as little sound as possible when latching it. Once it was closed, she turned to go and realized she wasn't alone. Davenport was standing a few feet away, watching her. The sound of his footsteps had been muffled by the plush carpet.

“He's asleep?” Davenport asked, his voice low.

She nodded. “I brought him a blanket. I thought it was wise to not wake him.”

“Astute of you,” he sighed. He motioned for her to follow as he started walking down the hallway.

Davenport was the type of man who took great pride in his appearance, in a way. Not in the same way that the prince and princess did, however – he was more concerned with looking clean and proper, with not a crease in his clothing nor a single hair out of place. His beard and mustache were meticulously trimmed, his boots were always properly polished, and his jacket remained buttoned and straightened, even this late at night.

But that didn't hide the sag in his shoulders or the dark circles forming under his eyes. The princess' disappearance had hit them all very hard. While Taako seemed blind to the fact that other people were suffering too, Lup really had been the glue that held them all together so neatly. Everyone ached for her being gone. The entire castle seemed poised around the negative space where she had once been, shaped by an influence that was no longer present.

“Have you heard back from the Underdark representative yet?” Lucretia asked, once they were a small ways down the hallway.

Davenport shook his head. “It's a long shot at best, and it'll take time before she hears back from her contacts,” he replied. “In the meantime, I'm considering appealing to the king and queen for help. The prince isn't...”

_The prince isn't doing his job._

Davenport did not need to say the words. Everyone knew it. As if Lup's disappearance wasn't enough, they also had to suffer through Taako's terrible temper and his stormy depression. There wasn't even the pretense of caring about the townsfolk or even the castle's staff – but then, Lup had always, _always_ come first for him.

“Give him a little longer,” Lucretia said quietly. “You know how much they enjoy toying with him.” Taako was generally smart enough not to fall for the king and queen's bait, but if they decided to pay a visit right now, things could be...bad.

Davenport paused. They were in front of the library. He must have had an inkling that she hadn't intended to turn in for the night just yet.

“I'm just not sure what else I can do,” he said. His voice was even, but there was a note of worry in it that she hated hearing.

She took a deep breath before getting down on her knees so she was at a good height when she leaned in to hug him. He went stiff in her arms, but she didn't care in that moment. Eventually, he relaxed a little and hugged her back, albeit somewhat awkwardly.

There were a lot of things she wanted to say but didn't quite dare to. She wanted to tell him about what she had found. She wanted to tell him about the plans she had in place to fix everything. She wanted to assure him that she could handle bearing the burden of Lup's disappearance on her own, and she wanted to promise that she'd find Lup back herself.

“Everything is going to be okay,” she said instead, squeezing her eyes shut.

“Oh, Lucretia,” Davenport said softly. She pulled back and saw the rueful smile he was giving her. He didn't believe her. He didn't dare let himself hope anymore. She watched him go through the motions of smoothing his jacket. “Get some sleep tonight, all right?”

“Yes,” she replied, getting back to her feet. “I will. I just have a few things to wrap up here tonight before I do.”

He nodded and bade her good night before continuing down the hallway to his own chambers. She watched him go, and then let herself into the library. She locked the door behind her and waved her hand to light up just enough lights for her to see her way to her office within.

There had been a prophecy once, many, many years before she had come to the castle. The prophecy had been made the day the twins had first entered the castle, one that shaped the way the children were treated and what they had learned, one that Lucretia had read about many times and had spent many years wondering what it meant.

_One will become a monster, and the other forgotten._

Taako spent most of his time moping and snapping at his staff. He wasn't actively antagonistic, but it was a trying thing to be near him constantly. If the prophecy hadn't been literal for that half, though, she could see it. If this continued, Taako was headed down a path toward becoming a monstrous ruler, one that would be no better than the current monarchs.

Lucretia wasn't about to let that happen. Taako was a good person, deep down, underneath those layers of sarcasm and disdain. It was grief that had twisted him like this.

She slipped into her office and locked that door as well before lighting the lamps in the room. She cast a quick spell on the door to alert her if anyone came near it. And then she drew a square in the air with her wand, opening her interdimensional storage. Within it was one single thing: an ancient tome, bound in leather, sporting an image of two jellyfish on its cover.

She had found the book in the furthest reaches of the old library, left there, no doubt, by the castle's previous owner, if its age was any indication. She could find no information on the two listed authors, S. Fisher and S. Fisher Jr., and the type of magic detailed in its pages was a kind she had never heard of, even after studying magic her entire life.

It focused on memory manipulation, for the most part. The main chunk of the research, however, was dedicated not to deleting or changing information, but rather projecting it to multiple minds at once. There were other applications, of course, and other spells, but it all related back to that. It was very high level stuff, and it had taken Lucretia a month to fully understand how it worked.

The first thing you had to do was gather the information and consolidate it all. A book, a sheet of music, a transcript of a speech, whatever. Then – and this was the confusing part – you had to _feed_ it to the magic. It didn't really seem to make any sense, in writing, and she wasn't quite sure how an intangible energy like magic could consume anything. But it did, somehow, and as that information was consumed, it would also be consumed from the minds of those who knew about it. The caster would be exempt from this, of course, since they would have to remember to be able to complete the ritual.

The last step detailed how to share the magic. It was a complex spell that released all of that information back out to whomever you chose and allowed it to be remembered by anyone who had known it previously. But that wasn't the part she was interested in.

Because the spell had discrete steps, it wouldn't be difficult to simply...stop, partway through, would it?

The castle was asleep, for the most part. A few rooms down the hallway, Taako slept in troubled sleep, his worry for his sister stripping away his humanity. All Lucretia had to do to restore that was to perform a ritual and stop at just the right time, and all that worry and despair would quiet his mind. The world would go back to normal until Lucretia could bring Lup home.

Lucretia didn't know if it was the right thing to do. She didn't know what this would do to Taako or the others who knew and loved the princess. She didn't know how long it would take her to find Lup after so many of Taako's attempts had failed thus far. But she was _sure_ that sitting here, doing nothing but waiting for Davenport to alert the king and queen, was the _wrong_ thing.

Sometimes there were no good decisions. Sometimes there were just decisions.

She had already compiled all the information about Lup's life into a notebook. She had drawn out the circles and gathered the spell components and had mentally prepared herself for the burden of being the only one to remember. She would perform the first half of the ritual. When the denizens of the castle were dealing with the effects – for she had no doubt the scale of this memory modification would leave the others incapacitated – she would carefully remove every indication that there had ever been a princess here to begin with.

She took a deep breath as she lifted the heavy book and placed it on a stand over her workspace. It took only a moment to arrange the components. She placed the journal documenting Lup's life in the center of the circle, and then she was one incantation away from seeing her plan come to fruition. The words came easily to her, words that she had read over and over again so many times that she had memorized them. In her hands, she held the jade and rosemary aloft. And as she did so, the magic began to come to life.

Tendrils of blue and green encircled her hands and arms as the spell consumed the components. There was no going back now. She reached down and picked up the journal.

The magic swarmed greedily over the book. She stared in amazement as one tendril pressed against the center of her chest and the rest ripped the book open to the first page. Rows and rows of her neat handwriting lined the page, all carefully cataloged in black ink. But even as she watched, the ink began to fade as the translucent tendrils of magic washed over the paper. Within seconds, the words were gone, and – so she assumed – that knowledge from the world.

It went fairly quickly, considering how much she had written. Within fifteen minutes, the magic had truly consumed all the information, just as the book had said it would, and she was left with nothing but an empty book, softly glowing with ambient magic.

And then, slowly, the blue and green lights faded slowly, the tendrils retracting. As the one touching her chest went back, she realized just how exhausted she was. The magic, she was aware, had connected to her own magical essence, using her own life force as a power source. There were detrimental effects to that, of course – so long as she powered this spell, her body would age more rapidly than it ought. It put a time constraint on what she was doing, but she didn't intend to dally anyway. If she died before she found Lup, then the spell would end, simple as that.

At any rate, she didn't have time to rest now. She had work to do.

* * *

The next morning, Davenport woke up with a terrible headache and a feeling of urgency. He could not remember what he needed to do. He could not remember why he was doing it.

For many years, he had tied his identity to his job, after all, and now half of his job was...gone. Missing from his mind. So he did the only thing he could do. He dedicated himself, fully and wholly, to the half he remembered. He would take care of the prince, and he would keep trying to remember whatever it was he had lost.

* * *

The next morning, Taako woke up with a terrible headache and a feeling of emptiness.

He had fallen asleep on his desk, but he didn't know why. He hadn't been working on anything, clearly; the surface was devoid of documents. There was an atlas open to an area of the Wilds he had never been. His neck hurt from sleeping as he had, and he knew he probably looked terrible. Other than that, his mind felt strangely...empty.

Empty, like there was supposed to be something there, but there wasn't anymore. Empty, like part of him had gone missing somehow.

Those were things he didn't care to dwell on. If there was something wrong with his head, that was best left a secret.

* * *

The next morning, the entire castle woke up with headaches.

Ren set an extra place at the breakfast table but couldn't remember why.

Magnus couldn't figure out why so many of the rooms in the castle had designated two spots for portraits when there was only one up. And why would there be two? There was only one prince.

Carey grumpily wondered why Taako needed two offices as she dusted the one that had obviously not been used for months.

Lucretia breezed through the hallways, listening to the pleasant chatter from the staff. No one was tiptoeing around. No one was whispering rumors about what had happened to the princess. It was just typical gossip, things she had come to expect but had not heard in a while. Taako himself was distant and a bit moody, but he wasn't _mean_ about it.

She smiled to herself, relief washing over her. She would be leaving on her journey to find Lup within a few hours, but for now, she was going to relish the normalcy she had restored and pretend very hard that she had not cried herself to sleep the night before.

* * *

* * *

Remembering didn't happen all at once. Lucretia opened the huge book and began to read, words from a long dead language washing over them like gentle waves, and the magic seeped through Taako's bones. He had imagined remembering like a door with a giant lock on it, and Lucretia's magic the key that unlocked that door. The reality of it was more like a giant bathtub being slowly filled while draining out the bad water at the same time, or a dirty window being cleaned so that more and more sunshine filtered through and chased away the shadows.

He remembered Lup pinching a mince meat pie out of the window of the neighbor's house, remembered hiding in an alleyway nearby while they laughed and ate it, remembered their aunt admonishing them and making them work to pay off what the pie cost. He remembered walking hand in hand with Lup the first time they approached the castle in Neverwinter, a giant, looming thing that was much too big for a pair of twelve year olds. He remembered their mother, having only acknowledged them again when she found out they were eligible for the throne, pushing them up the steps in impatience.

He remembered tutoring with Lup, how they couldn't get away with the same sort of thing they had gotten away with in regular school because it was only the two of them. He remembered hiding in the kitchen after ruining Lup's favorite pair of shoes with magic, and how Ren – only a few decades older than them but acting like a grown up even then – had told the princess she hadn't seen him, and how much he had preened at the fact that _Ren liked Taako more than she liked Lup._

He remembered banquets hosted by the royals, being introduced as half of a whole. He remembered standing side by side with Lup in the kitchens after they had talked their way out of another political science class to instead go learn how to make bread. He remembered Davenport letting them slowly control more and more of what happened to the town of Glamour Springs, until, on their one hundredth birthday, he relinquished his role as reagent, opting to stay on as an advisor.

They were things he remembered before, but they were different memories now. His mind had closed up the gaps Lup had left, tied everything together with a neat little bow, warning him away from thinking about it too hard with a headache every time he questioned anything.

Some memories were new, though, rather than these strange ones that his mind had simply cut Lup out of. He had remembered the increasingly desperate letters from villages at the edge of the Felicity Wilds, begging for their help as earthquakes ravaged the countryside, but he hadn't remembered _doing_ anything about them. They couldn't, legally; they were the prince and princess in training, and they only had jurisdiction over the town of Glamour Springs. If the king and queen chose to ignore them, there was nothing they could do about it.

He hadn't remembered Lup sitting at her desk up at the top of the eastern tower, pouring over maps and books and letters, up late hours into the night while Taako brought her tea and massaged her shoulders. He hadn't remembered her red eyes and her drooped shoulders.

He hadn't remembered her saying, “Look at this, Taako. These people are _dying_ , and the King and Queen won't do anything about it. Why won't they _do_ anything?”

He hadn't remembered her saying, “There's a root to this problem, Taako. Look, here's the epicenter of all of this. There's something there. I've read stories about it. I _know_ , I know we can't _go_ there, Taako, I know they'll find out if we do, but maybe...maybe...”

He hadn't remembered her saying, “What's the point of being a princess if I can't even _help_ people?”

He hadn't remembered sitting up with her, trying to cheer her up, reminding her that they helped plenty of people right here in town. He hadn't remembered doing his dumb, goofy dances to get her to smile, or holding her when she laughed so hard that she had broken into tears, or how she had hugged him so tightly that evening.

He hadn't remembered the scribbled note that had been hastily shoved under his bedroom door, claiming that she would be back soon.

Remembering didn't happen all at once. It was more like being stabbed, over and over, each knife a little sharper and a little more painful than the last, with each new memory creating a new bleeding wound in the fabric of your soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **UPDATE June 8, 2020:** I'm having some serious vision issues lately, which have kept me from finishing the upcoming chapter. Please bear with me until I can get this fixed.
> 
> Hey, thank you for sticking with me even though I missed posting last week. It's kind of fun how I wrote 90% of this within the span of two weeks like six months ago and STILL can't get chapters out on time. Also, uh, surprise! This isn't the end. There will be at least one more chapter. I assume just one, but, you know, who can say for sure? I thought this was going to be 17 chapters when I started posting, so I guess we'll see!
> 
> Please let me know if you liked this chapter? Your words of support mean SO much, and I really missed getting comments last week (even though that was entirely my fault). Also let me know if you'd be interested in author's notes or anything like that! Kudos are great too, of course. Thanks for reading!!
> 
> You can find me elsewhere on tumblr [@ungarmax](http://ungarmax.tumblr.com) or on twitter [@ungarzack](http://twitter.com/ungarzack).

**Author's Note:**

> This is obviously a remix of an old fairy tale, but the inspiration lies deeper than that. My dear friend [@nekosd43](https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosd43) is who inspired this story, for the most part, in their own fic, 'Wizards and Woodsmen, Beauties and Beasts' (linked in the "inspired by" section). We took vastly different angles writing generally the same thing, and I strongly recommend reading their fic as well.
> 
> My other biggest inspiration comes from [@marywhale](http://archiveofourown.org/users/marywhale), who has been writing various TAZ Balance fairy tale AUs. If you haven't read her stuff, you super gotta do that. Just trust me on that one.
> 
> I also want to give a special shout out to [@StaticWitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StaticWitch/), without whose encouragement, I never would have had the courage to post this story.


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